


follow the signs (right back to you)

by graveltotempo



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Allison Argent & Stiles Stilinski Are Twins, Alpha Derek Hale, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Arranged Marriage, Courtship, Derek Hale & Isaac Lahey Friendship, Erica Reyes & Stiles Stilinski Friendship, Established Allison Argent/Scott McCall, Established Lydia Martin/Jackson Whittemore, Established Vernon Boyd/Erica Reyes, Heartbreak, Jealous Derek, Jealousy, Light Angst, Lydia Martin & Stiles Stilinski Friendship, M/M, Mutual Pining, Omega Stiles Stilinski, One-Sided Attraction, Past Jordan Parrish/Stiles Stilinski, Pining, Prince Derek Hale, Queen Talia Hale, Royalty, Vernon Boyd & Derek Hale Friendship, Werewolf Mates, it's one sided - Freeform, not between sterek, theo is a creep
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-13
Updated: 2020-09-13
Packaged: 2021-03-07 03:20:27
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 21,982
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26449927
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/graveltotempo/pseuds/graveltotempo
Summary: Stiles turned around, expression stony. “We canwhatDerek? Mess around until the country needs you to wed someone else again? The marriage with Princess Paige might have gone awry, but that does not mean you will not soon find another match. And what do I get out of it? A possibly compromised reputation, a broken heart and no husband.” Now his tone softened. “You are a prince, Derek, and there is talk of you becoming thefuture King.Please, just… leave me be.”Derek looked distraught, and reached out to touch Stiles’ shoulder. “I care too much for you, Stiles. I would never-”Stiles turned immediately around, taking a step away from Derek. “The sneaking around, the maybes, the risk… I cannot do it, Derek.” He never once turned to look at his face. “I am sorry.”
Relationships: Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski
Comments: 15
Kudos: 458





	follow the signs (right back to you)

**Author's Note:**

> this is all started because of [**this frary scene**](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xs39oGFNJcI) and i imagined stiles and derek dancing/having a similar scene
> 
> **or** :
> 
> Prince Derek, crown prince of Beacon Hills, is in love with Young Stiles, a commoner.
> 
> Young Stiles, a commoner, is in love with Prince Derek, crown prince of Beacon Hills.
> 
> If only it was that simple.

_ I follow signs (I follow signs) _

_ I know they wind (I know they wind) _

_ Right back to you _

_ Back to you, back to you _

Derek quickened his pace, trying to reach his mother before she went in the meeting with her advisor. “Mother, must I really…?”

The queen turned to her son and flashed red eyes at him. “Derek. You must go now. Your sisters may need your assistance,” She demanded. Then, noticing Derek’s knight next to him, “Sir Isaac, please do make sure Prince Derek doesn’t get  _ lost _ .” She added, and Derek glared at her behind her back, as she disappeared again down the corridor.

His knight looked at him amused. "Deaton?” he asked, tone not too formal. He and Derek had been friends with each since Isaac had been granted the bite when he was 11 and joined the court when Derek had found out about how the bartender in town - his father - had been abusing the younger boy, and immediately rescued him from the man.

Derek grimaced, like he always did when someone mentioned the druid to him. Deaton was a great magician and one of his mother’s closest friends and allies, sure; but he had never cared about any of the Hale children the way he cared about their mother. He didn’t consider them  _ enough _ . 

Isaac opened the doors, and Derek noticed that other than his sisters Cora and Laura, there were three other cloaked figured in the room. He quickly recognised the bigger figure as Deaton when he walked into the room; the others were giving him their back and concealing their scents with their magical cloaks, so he couldn’t make out who they were.

Cora glared at him as he finally took the seat between her and Laura, but her older brother didn’t react, Isaac automatically going to stand with Laura and Cora’s personal dames. 

Deaton gave him a smile, and the trio took down the hoods of their magical cloaks. “My greeting to you, Princess Laura, Prince Derek and Princess Cora,” He said, bowing his head a little. “It is my understanding that your mother wishes for me to disclose information to the three of you?” he asked, as if he didn’t know already, and Derek wanted to snarl at him.

Instead he let his sister respond, and for the first time looked at the two figures behind him, the sharp scent of lemongrass hitting him the moment the cloak was down. He recognised them instantly. 

The first figure was a girl with fierce red hair who was looking around with an air of disinterest in her incredibly smart eyes. Young Lydia of the Martin household, banshee and daughter to one of the most important and rich households in Beacon Hills. She had fame for being a heartbreaker and everyone had been surprised when she had presented as an Omega.

The second figure was a boy with dark hair and a severe case of worms in his pants, since he could not stay still. His eyes were the colour of liquid amber, and he had a cute upturned nose and pink lips. He was Young Stiles of the Stilinski-Argents, son of the blacksmith John Stilinski, married to Captain Chris Argent. He was one of his sister’s best friends and also the source of all Derek’s pining.

Deaton was still speaking to Laura, so he relaxed in his chair, trailing every one of Lydia and Stiles’ movements. Lydia was whispering something to Stiles, and the boy looked straight towards Derek. He turned red, and turned away, muttering under his breath and staring at the ground, as Lydia looked at him amusedly, their words masked by whatever enchatment they were carrying with them.

“Brother!” hissed Cora, and finally the prince looked away from the beautiful boy and back towards Deaton, who was looking at him expectantly.

“I apologise, I didn't quite catch that,” He said, clearly not sorry at all, but was annoyed when Deaton’s face didn’t betray any trace of being upset. He was so pleasant all the time, and Derek  _ hated  _ him.

“I was saying, your royal Highness, that Young Lydia and Young Stiles have completed the first level of apprenticeship. Now more than before, they will be left alone in my dwellings, and I want to make sure the Royal Family is familiar with who they might deal with in the future,” Derek saw Laura make a face from the corner of her eyes, but didn’t laugh. Deaton clearly had no idea how  _ familiar  _ they already were. 

“Young Lydia is a banshee, while Young Stiles is a spark,” continued the druid, unperturbed, “and they are both well versed in the art of alchemy. If you or your family is in need of anything, you must contact us for help we will be delighted in giving.” He then bowed. Stiles muttered something under his breath at that, and Lydia tried and failed to hide her smile.

Laura stood up. “Well, if it’s all,” She said, and Deaton nodded, bowing again before he and the other two started walking away. “One moment,” Called Laura, and they all stopped. “Young Stiles, if I might have a word.” 

The brunette stopped in his tracks, pouting as Lydia waved and left him there before he turned back towards Laura. “Your Royal Highness,” He greeted, bowing his head a little.

Laura grinned at him. “Stiles, you know you can call me Laura, I always tell you that,” Stiles made a face, and she snickered. “I haven’t seen you in a long time. Is everything all right?” she asked, and the boy looked uncomfortable for a moment.

“My father got sick, and I had to attend the man that had been hired by him for help. It was certainly a tedious time,” he told her, and Laura looked surprised at that. 

“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that.” She said, truthfully. “Is he better now?”

Stiles shrugged. “He is recovering well, yes. However, I would still prefer to go and check on him, if it’s okay with you,” he explained, and Laura looked surprised at his tone. Derek was surprised himself. Laura and Stiles had always been attached to the hip whenever they saw each other. But today he was withdrawn, almost like he wanted to get out of there as soon as possible.

Cora was looking between of them three amusedly, as if she had already figured it out - and, knowing her, she probably had. Laura nodded and looked away. “Don’t let me keep you then,” She said, and Stiles nodded, bowed and walked out.

Derek would have followed him, walked him out himself, but Cora was looking pointedly at the two of them. Laura sat back on her chair. “I don’t understand, is he angry at me?” she asked them both, and Cora rolled her eyes.

“Sister dear! It’s not that,” She assured, enjoying the way both her and Derek were staring at her. “He presented last week,” She told them, chuckling at their amused expression.

“What did he present as?” asked Laura, but they all  _ knew _ . Derek knew. He should have realised it by the way his scent had changed, became somehow sweeter and spicier at the same time, but Derek had been pining after Stiles for so long that his scent was not even a real problem for him. That and also the fact that he had the smell of chemicals all over himself.

“Omega,” He muttered, and almost blushed at the way Laura and Cora glanced at him.

Cora sighed again “He, like Young Lydia and Young Danny, has to keep his reputation pristine now, doesn’t he? The attention has shifted to him since his father got sick, his sire is currently abroad and his sister is enjoying her courtship with Young Scott,” she said, and turned to smile at Isaac, who winked back at her impudently.

Laura looked still annoyed. “But I’m just Laura! And he’s… he’s Stiles,” she said helplessly, and this time it was Isaac who spoke.

“With all due respects, my princess Laura, there is no such thing as  _ just  _ Stiles and  _ just  _ Laura in our society. The subjects wish to see you wed as soon as possible and Stiles must stay chaste if he wishes to ever land a wife or a husband,” he explained to her, and Laura glared at him.

“I believe this to be  _ absolute  _ garbage. I’ll be in my rooms.” She said before quickly walking away, her dame rushing out of the room after her. Cora just shrugged and motioned for her own lady to follow her out, leaving Derek and Isaac alone in the room.

The prince glanced out of the windows deep in thought. “Is it today?” he asked in the end, as Isaac stood silently next to him. 

“If you are talking about the party that his Highness Prince Theo has organised, then it is, yes.”

God, Derek hated Theo with a passion, but he enjoyed the opportunities his parties presented. They were great for sneaking out and meeting up with someone, with the chaos that the village always fell in. He was, of course, allowed to leave Court if he was so inclined; however, the anonimity and chance to enjoy himself that came with Theo's parties was unparalleled.

And sure, he wasn’t exactly  _ allowed  _ to go, but with the right camouflage, no one would recognise him until he told them who he was.

He grinned at Isaac. “We have a party to attend then! Let’s get dressed!”

Isaac almost rolled his eyes, and smirked. “As you wish, your Highness.”

* * *

“You take things much too seriously, brother,” sighed Allison, as she stood in the doorway, watching in amusement as he took out a couple of clean tunics and tried them on. He had come from Deaton’s place and rushed in the bathroom, taking a long time in the bath, and then remained locked in the room for almost half an hour.

The brunet glared at her. “And so should you, Allison. You are to be wed soon, after all! You should start walking around the town, hear the gossip to see if Scott has done something.”

The girl snorted, “Young Scott is your best friend, Sti. You know perfectly well he has never done a bad thing in his entire life.”

He waved her off like a particular fastidious fly. “It’s the thought that matters. The appearance.” He pursed his lip, grabbing the clothes. “Ever since we became of age, the eye has been on our family. Already people believe that father has married just to get out of debt, so the microscope is on us now. Are we going to ruin the Argent’s name? What is going to happen? Is father gonna run away with the Argent fortune instead of paying for dowries?” he shook his head. “And while they were both well and living together, it was fine. But now father is recovering from illness and sire is away. Furthermore, I turned out to be an Omega. Our family is under a lens and we can’t afford to make mistakes.”

Now, his sister looked at him worriedly. Stiles really seemed stressed, now that she looked at him properly. It was true that he had taken over surveillance of the Stilinski practice ever since their father got sick, to ensure her time with her future betrothed, but she had never thought this was what he meant. “Sti-”

“Ally, please do not worry about it. Tis not your fault that you’re a beta and landed a prospect husband in Scott so quickly. Let us face it: no matter what either of you presented as, you’d have gotten married anyway.” The girl blushed, and her brother smiled. “Now, help me find something decent for the party.”

+

“Young Lydia!” greeted Stiles, lighting up when he finally found the other girl in the party. She was wearing one of her finest  [ dresses ](https://i.pinimg.com/474x/a9/b4/8b/a9b48ba15e07f59841b890b8715b78f7.jpg) , quite daring since it had no sleeves.  _ She  _ could afford to have people talk about her. She was rich and already had a betrothed who she was going to publicly introduce on the  dance of the betrothed .

She barely acknowledged him, but allowed him to slide next to her. “Stilinski-Argent,” She nodded at Allison, who had decided to show up last minute, her  [ dress ](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CAA9B_tUsAEN1mE.jpg:large) almost Spartan compared to Lydia’s. “Stilinski-Argent number 2.”

“Young Allison!” called a male voice, as another boy came and collided with them. He had brown eyes and tanned skin, looking both flustered and nervous at having found the girl. He held a rose in his hand, which he handed her with a small curtsy. “For you.”

The girl blushed, stammering a thank you, and both Lydia and Stiles rolled their eyes at them. The boy pushed Stiles. “Be quiet, Stiles.”

“Do make me, Scott,” taunted the boy straight away, winking at him with a smirk.

Young Scott McCall had been friends with Stiles since birth. In fact, the Stilinski household and the McCall household had been friends for generations before. But it was the first time in a long time that their families entwined through marriage.

Young Scott was also a member of the Court, since he was a werewolf. He had been granted the bite on his 12 th birthday to save him from a form of illness of the lungs that Deaton called Asthma, and had joined when he was 16.

Stiles did not envy him, really. He knew the McCalls had money problems worse than the Stilinski’s before they married Argent, and that was the main reason he joined, but… all their lives they had been one and the same. Now, Scott was almost  _ more _ .

“Beware! Prince Theo and his followers are coming!” called Lydia, effectively getting Stiles’ attention back on the party.

The Queen’s nephew was in fact walking in the crowd, giving roses to everyone he thought looked cute and kissing their hands. 

Theo was Laura’s cousin, and a prince, and the biggest piece of dry cow excrement Stiles had ever caught sight of. He was a Beta with Alpha tendencies; meaning he was always looking for an omega to seduce with promises of wealth and fame and then usually left them pregnant and alone, or without a house to come back to because of the shame. People kept falling for it, and Stiles didn’t get it: what was so special about the dude’s blondish hair and bluish eyes? Devils came in all sizes and shapes.

“I must say, I see him once every three months and I’ve yet to discover what’s so special about this man,” He told his friends, smiling a little at Scott’s short bark of laughter and Lydia’s unattractive snort. 

His best friend took Allison’s hand. “Shall we go, my fair lady? I’d love to enjoy this experience with you.”

Allison smiled, and gave a peck to her brother and a nod to Lydia, before disappearing in the crowd.

Lydia watched her walk away, before Stiles abruptly elbowed her. “Quick flash a smile,” He ordered, smiling prettily as Theo walked in front of them.

The werewolf prince stopped long enough to shove a bunch of roses in Stiles’ arms and give a kiss on Lydia’s hand, before winking and moving forward in the line. The red headed kept smiling until the man left their area, before turning her glare on the boy.

“Where are your manners? And I thought you said you did not care for him.”

Stiles gave her an eye roll. “I do not, but I care for the money he is so willing to give people. This bunch of roses costs almost more than one full day of work.” He explained, quickly walking away from the prince’s parade.

Lady Lydia followed him. “And now, where are we going?” she asked, falling in step with him.

He spared a glance at her narrowing his eyes. “I don’t know where you are going, Young Lydia of the Martin’s house, soon to be wed to Young Jackson of the Whittemore’s house. I just know that it must be somewhere farther away from me, Omega Stiles Stilinski-”

“We are fellow alchemists, Young Stiles, and  _ both  _ Omegas.” She rolled her eyes. “You concern yourself too much with people’s talk; a good husband won’t care for your reputation.” She promised.

“I don’t know if your opinion on a good husband is to be trusted, with whom you have chosen as partner,” he commented, narrowly missing a slap sent him way.

He smiled, as a young lady walked past them. “Good afternoon, Young Heather. Looking as beautiful as always,” he greeted her, getting a  _ you too  _ in reply.

Lydia arched an eyebrow. Stiles shrugged. “Good family name, good connection and known her for as long as I’ve known Scott and Erica.”

The red head shook her head at him. “Do you even think about love? All you ever talk about is the name and status and reputation of possible suitors. You never seem to care about the fact that once the money finishes, you shall spend the rest of your life with them.”

“My sister married for love,” he said, without hesitating. “Only one of us can have that luxury, with our current situation, and I love her far too much to let it be me. Scott is my best friend, and I love him dearly, but his family is not the richest around. His wedding to my sister won’t bring anything for us, really.”

“Weddings are not just supposed to be a money transaction,” told him the girl, and Stiles gave her a veiled look, but didn’t answer. She couldn’t understand. Not when the Whittemores and the Martins were both rich beyond reason.

Instead he stopped in front of the florist’s shop, a genuine smile on his face for once. “Good afternoon, Young Ludovica,” he greeted.

The florist, an old woman with graying hair and a pair of ridiculous glasses smiled back at him. “Young Stiles! You always make feel 10 years younger.” She glanced at the flowers in his hand and sighed. “I should have known Prince Theo was in town the moment they didn’t come back with my order.”

The boy grimaced. “A piece of work, really,” he muttered, making the woman snort as she gave him a small bag of cash.

“Thanks for selling these to me. And say hi to Allison for me, I heard she is promised to Young Scott,” she shook her head. “They grow up so fast, don’t they?”

Lydia tuned out of the conversation, watching how Stiles so easily charmed the old woman. She was an expert on manipulation, but she was still impressed when they walked away and Stiles had somehow received a new ceramic plate and a small plant of mint.

“Shall we pass by Deaton’s office or shall we return to Prince Theo’s parade and be part of this system that keep inflating his ego?” asked Stiles, as they walked down King Theodore Street.

“You might want to be careful about how you talk about the Royal family. They have ears everywhere,” commented a voice, fake reproachful.

Stiles and Lydia turned around, a grin on his face and a small smile on hers, before they greeted Isaac. 

Isaac Lahey was one of their closest friends. Stiles, Allison, Scott, Lydia, Jackson, Danny, Erica, Boyd, Isaac and, to an extent, the Hale siblings.

They’d gone to school together, grown up together. And no matter how annoying some of them were- read, Jackson- or how much closer he was to others- like Erica and Scott- they were all his friends. Well, most of them were his friends.

He froze, as Lydia frowned at a figure behind him. “What are you doing with a beggar, Isaac?” 

“That’s not a beggar,” said Stiles, before he could stop himself. “That’s Prince Derek.”

Lydia didn’t startle, but her eyebrows went up in surprise. Stiles refused to look at her or at the prince/beggar, already knowing the question on the tip of their tongues.

Isaac, thank god, had mercy on his soul. “Indeed. His Highness insisted on wanting to participate to his cousin’s party, despite knowing what sort of disguise he would have to sport. You’ve got a good eye, as always.” 

The red head tutted, before giving a semi bow, that Stiles was quick to imitate. “Your Highness,”

The Prince forcefully looked away from Stiles and smiled. “Just call me Derek, before someone figures out who I am.”

Lydia nodded. “As you wish… Derek.”

“I have to go now,” said Stiles, after a couple of seconds of looking anywhere but the prince. He gave a tight smile in Isaac’s direction, and nodded at Lydia. “Father expects me at home. I’ll see you soon.”

He didn’t wait for an answer, instead quickly making his way towards his house. Derek glanced at his disappearing figure and gave a look at Isaac. “I’ll be right back. I promise.”

Lydia and Isaac watched the Prince running after Stiles, matching expressions of sorrow on their face. “Why do they hurt each other so much?”

+

“Young Stiles, wait, please,” Stiles was startled, but not too surprised to hear Derek’s voice. He would have been an idiot if he really thought Derek would let him walk away just like that.

The Prince stopped running only once he got next to him and gave him a smile. “Allow me to walk you home, at least.”

“You don’t have to-”

“I insist,” said Derek, looking at him with an hopeful expression. “It’s been so long since I’ve seen you and I wished to talk to you.”

Stiles shrugged. “I didn't quite believe I would be seeing you again, so…” he said, looking a little uneasy.

“I know, but now that’s gone. I can, we can, finally-”

Stiles turned around very quickly, expression stony. “We can  _ what  _ Derek? Mess around until the country needs you to wed someone else again? The marriage with Princess Paige might have gone awry, but that does not mean you will not soon find another match.” Derek flinched at his tone, looking at him with wide eyes, but Stiles wasn’t finished. “And what do I get out of it? A possibly compromised reputation, a broken heart and no husband.” Now his tone softened. “You are a prince, Derek, and there is talk of you becoming the  _ future King. _ Please, just… leave me be.”

Derek looked distraught, and reached out to touch Stiles’ shoulder. “I care too much for you, Stiles. I would never-”

Stiles spotted a woman walking not too far from them, and turned immediately around, taking a step away from Derek. “The sneaking around, the maybes, the risk… I cannot do it, Derek.” He never once turned to look at his face. “I am sorry.”

* * *

“Do you think he’ll show up? God, I hope he’ll show up,” said Laura, torturing her fingers as she watched the rest of her friend group chatting and laughing amongst themselves.

There was Lydia, sitting next to Allison, quietly explaining something to her. Scott was there too, laughing with Isaac at something Boyd just said, while Cora stared in awe. 

Derek, sitting next to her snorted. “I wouldn’t bet too much on it,” he muttered darkly, the memory of the last time he saw Stiles still painful to think about it.

Almost as if to prove him wrong, he saw the brunet coming from a distance, his face a bright flush of embarrassment and Young Daniel of the Mahealani house walking with him, a smile on his face.

They both smiled at the group, joining immediately. Stiles was still staring at Danny.

“That cannot truly have passed,” he was snickering, as Danny smirked.

“Oh, but indeed it has. My father walked in on Sir Matt and that… animal.” Stiles snickered again. “I mean, soldier life is pretty lax about these kind of things, but the lad’s reputation is absolutely in ruin,” He added, gleefully.

Lydia smirked. “You talking about Sir Matt’s…  _ uhm,  _ affair?” at their nod, her smile grew. “Jackson sent me all of the details in his latest message, and apparently it was more than one.”

“Can you imagine if one of them got pregnant?” asked Stiles, bursting into laughter at their horrified expressions.

He looked so relaxed, so happy around his friends, and Derek’s chest hurt. It hurt because he knew there was no way he could ever care for someone else like he cared for Stiles and yet, he couldn’t make a move without ruining the little of him he actually had.

And yet, Danny was basically crowded into him, eyes twinkling delightedly, and Stiles did nothing to stop him or push him away.

“I mean, just because he has the tool, it does not mean he can complete the deed.” He wiggled his eyebrows at the rest of them. “I have seen  _ it  _ before.”

“No way!” called Allison, eyes going wide. “Young Mahealani!”

“What!” pouted the other. “Like you aren’t curios about _what_ I saw!”

“Stop me,” said Lydia clapping her hands together and then slowly moving them apart from each other. 

“Stop!” said Danny not even a second in, and Stiles covered his face, snorts coming out instead of laughter.

Isaac glanced at the space, that was probably the size of his index finger. “No!”

Allison shook her head, blushing but still laughing. “What was he going to do? Tickle the animal?”

Only then Derek finally figured out they were talking about Sir Matt’s junk, and he felt his cheeks heating up immediately. Especially since Cora had been laughing maniacally since the beginning and there was something very wrong about the fact that she was able to know what they were talking about before Derek could.

“Nature’s very own way of telling him to not procreate,” added Boyd, decidedly, and everyone started laughing again.

Derek smiled too, but there was a little bit of pain now.

A few months ago, things had been very different.

Their little group tried to head up on this hill whenever they were all free, and had been since they were about 11 years old. And back then, things had been very much different.

Lydia would hike up her skirts and chase Erica around; Derek, Boyd, Scott and Isaac would play fight all over the ground; Allison would try and teach Cora how to make a small flower crown with the daises the managed to survive everyone’s stomping; Jackson and Danny would mock and judge everyone around, but ended up with as many patches of dirt on their clothes as everyone else; and Stiles and Laura would talk, fight, laugh and play the whole time, the sound of laughter filling up the whole clearing.

And even after Erica and Jackson had left, joining Prince Peter’s crusade against the Eastern kingdoms, things had still been somewhat  _ okay. _

But then they had started presenting. One by one, the stupid alpha/beta/omega dynamics had claimed every single member of their groups, and their relationships had immediately changed.

Now, it was like there were little cliques in their groups. Scott, Boyd and Isaac still play fought sometimes, but no one of the girls ever joined them anymore. Allison and Lydia, spent less time together than before, and usually talking about wedding stuff and engagements and gossip, never getting their hands dirty anymore. Danny and Stiles spent some time with Cora, the only non presented member of their group, but mostly they were around each other or Lydia.

And Derek and Laura, the only Alphas of the groups, were alone.

Sure, when they spoke, they were answered. And Isaac and Boyd made an effort to include them in every conversation he could.

But Stiles sat farther away from them - even before he presented as an omega - and... 

It was like they were being invited to the hangout out of habit, and not out of genuine wish of their presence.

And Derek understood it, okay? Him and Laura were alphas  _ and  _ the crown princes, and either of them was going to be the group’s King or Queen soon.

But it still hurt.

“ _ Clang! Clang! Clang!” _

Every one looked up at the sound of the bell, confusion and stupor copy and pasted on each of their expression.

“One bell king, one bell queen,” started singing Laura, remembering the rhyme her mother had taught to recognise the meaning of the bells, “ _ din-ding, dan-dang,  _ threat’s within, 5 bells death and 2 bells life,  _ ding, dong, dang _ , call forth the wives.”

Lydia lit up, immediately standing back up on her feet. “The soldiers are back!” she correctly explained, and that was all it took for everyone to scramble to their feet.

Isaac and Boyd hurried towards the carriage that had brought them up the hill, going from their best friends to their Royal Knights in a heartbeat. “Your Highness, please take a seat. Your mother will want you to receive the soldiers and your Uncle, Prince Peter, as they return,” informed them Boyd.

“Your Highness,” chorused everyone else, including Stiles, as they bowed to them and Derek’s stomach felt uncomfortable.

A few months ago, this would have never had happened.

A few months ago, everyone would have simply waved at them as they left. Stiles would have hugged Laura, and blushed when Derek awkwardly patted his arm. Derek would have fist bumped Scott, and Cora held hands with Lydia for a moment, before Jackson, Boyd, Erica and Isaac walked them back to the castle.

And now their friends were  _ bowing  _ to them, and rushing off towards the town, and Derek’s stomach churned.

“It’s not  _ their _ fault,” said Cora a few moments later, as the carriage started moving. Derek looked away from the window, glancing between his sisters before focusing on Cora. The youngest Hale shrugged. “You were going to marry Princess Paige.”

“So what, it’s  _ my  _ fault?”

Derek had  _ not  _ wanted to marry Princess Paige. But he hadn’t had a choice.

His mother had sat him down, about three months ago, to talk to him about the alliance between Vulturelle and Beacon Hills, and Derek was crown prince. His sister was a lesbian, and the amount of sapphic future queens was severely lacking.

And his mother might have been ruthless when it came to protect her people and her family, but she wasn’t mean to her children. She would never force Laura in a marriage that was bound to fail with a  _ man _ .

But Derek wasn’t gay. He was attracted to both genders, and an arranged marriage to a young girl he had grown up with and was close friends with was not something too evil to inflict on him.

And Derek was the second born of Queen Talia and King Jasper, and their first male son. He had as much of a claim to the throne as his sister did.

That was why Derek hadn’t been able to say no.

Cora rolled her eyes. “Yes, I am. I am not  _ blaming,  _ you, brother. I am stating facts.

"If you and Princess Paige had gone ahead with the marriage, you would have been our - and our friend’s - future King. And none of them want to wrestle and risk hurting their future King.”

“The marriage fell through, though,” tried Derek, but his sister shook her head. __

“The realisation that you guys,” she grimaced, “That  _ we  _ aren’t just their friends is not as easy to shake off. Either one of you could be their future King or Queen, and they are going to be your subjects,” She shook her head. “Mother grew up with Alchemist Deaton; do you see them hugging it out when they want?”

Laura glared. “You are simply smug because you have no chance of becoming queen unless both of us die without heir.”

Their younger sister grinned. “That  _ is  _ true.”

* * *

Stiles was just about to serve his father when the door finally opened.

When he and Allison had finally arrived in town, half of the soldiers had already been ushered inside to meet the Queen and King and be thanked for their service. They had managed to wave at Erica and Jackson - since they were some of the youngest, they were nearer the back - but their sire was long gone.

So, despite their disappointment, they had headed back home, and they had prepared some fancy meat Allison had purchased earlier while their father rested on the chair.

But when Christopher Argent finally walked inside, it was all he could do not throw the plate on the ground before rushing to envelop their sire in their arms.

“Oof,” grunted the blue eyed beta, before his arms tightened around the twins. “I’m happy to see you too, but please let me come in.”

“Come on, sire,” called Allison, face basically split in two by the size of her smile. “How was the trip back? Are you hurt? Are you hungry? I want to hear everything!”

“Did everything go okay? Did you capture anyone? Any stories? Me and Allison made something, I hope you enjoy it and father is just in the kitchen-”

Chris tuned out of their continued chattering, only letting go of them when he spotted his husband, sitting at the dining room table with a smile just as big as his children’s. 

Allison and Stiles stepped back from Chris, grinning and holding each other tighter when the soldier enveloped his husband in a hug, their lips finding each other.

When Chris’ hand stopped on John’s waist, however, the twins decided it was enough, Allison getting in between the two of them. “Come on, that is quite enough kissing from you two old men,” she joked, and John laughed while Chris rolled his eyes.

“I hope you have an appetite!” added Stiles settling a plate on the table. “We made some shredded flank stew, with potatoes and everything!”

John smiled at his husband, pulling him to take a seat next to him. “Trust me when I say this is a special occasion. They have refused to give me red meat since I got sick. I’ve been dreaming about stew,”

“Father, stop being dramatic!”

“Dramatic? I was being tortured by the two of you,” complained John and Chris laughed.

He put a hand on his husband, accepting the plate Allison handed him. “And yet all of your letters were saying how proud you were of them, and talking about Allison and Scott…”

John narrowed his eyes at him, as if he wasn’t quite sure if Chris was on his side or not. “Coercion.”

“Sure thing, father.”

At his pointed glare, the other three Stilinski-Argent’s just laughed.

“This is good,” commented Chris a few moments later, after they had started digging into the food. “Well done, kids.”

Both twins preened under the praise, and John beamed. “Right? They had been making me amazing - albeit non meaty - food the whole time you were away and I was sick. Maybe I should be sick more often,” he mused, pretending not to notice the twin glares being sent their way.

Any of their complaints was however stopped when they heard the sound of knocking from the front door, and Stiles quickly moved to open the door.

The man standing at the door gave Stiles a small smile, bowing his head slightly. “Is this the Stilinski-Argent residence?” he asked, eyes darting behind Stiles and into the house. At Stiles’ stilted nod, he smiled again. “Is Captain Argent inside? He forgot-”

“Oh, Young Jordan,” said Chris, as he approached the door. Stiles stepped back, eyeing the way the man stood up straighter when his sire approached him. “Come in, come in.”

“I was just bringing you your letters, Captain,” explained the younger man, obligingly stepping in. “You left them in my bag when you were returning.”

Chris nodded, accepting the pile of letter that the man handed him. Then he lit up. “Why don’t you join us for this meal, Young Jordan? My children have made more than enough for all of us.”

Jordan glanced between the man in front of him and Stiles. “I don’t know, Captain, I wouldn’t want to impose,”

“Nonsense!” cried Chris. “We have more than enough for everyone, right Stiles?”

The younger, who had been peeking curiously at the green eyes man in front of him, immediately nodded. “Of course. Please take a seat…” he trailed off, unsure of how to address him.

The man smiled again, and gave a more proper bow in Stiles’ direction. “I am Jordan of the Parrish household. I am part of the army, in your father’s legion.”

Stiles gave him a small smile, impressed. Of course, he knew the Parrish household.

He remembered hearing something about how, a couple years back, his wife had died in an attack in one of the colonies, and that was the reason he had returned and joined the Queen’s army. The idea of letting the man return to his household alone didn’t sit right with Stiles.

Once the man was seated in the only vacant spot - between Stiles and his father - Stiles returned to the table, a full plate of stew in his hand. 

When Jordan took the plate from him, their hands brushed, and Stiles had to look down, a little flush coming on his face.

_ Fine _ . Stiles had a little thing for pretty boys with green eyes, and Jordan happened to be  _ very  _ pretty.

The moment everyone was seated again, Chris clapped Jordan’s shoulder. “This man is one of my absolute best,” he told them, looking proud. “Follows the rules perfectly but is still able to think for himself, a great strategist  _ and  _ a great field soldier. I think many of the people on the legion owe him their lives.”

“Captain,” let out Jordan, blushing a little. “Tis only because of you and your leadership, after all. We all look up, and learn from you.”

Chris shook his head, cutting a piece of bread. “You flatterer,” His attention quickly moved to his daughter. “Allison, I heard that Scott has finally started wooing you. Is he treating you well?”

The brunette blushed, glancing at her father in disappointment. “You said that you weren’t going to tell him yet!”

“You are betrothed?” wondered Jordan, and Allison blushed a little.

“Not yet-”

“But she will be soon enough,” sing sang Stiles, avoiding the slap she aimed at him. “Young Scott’s eyes are full of fond whenever she appears in front of him. It is slightly sickening.”

“And you?”

Stiles stopped putting out his tongue at his sister, instead looking surprised at Jordan. His cheeks reddened slightly. “Not yet, either. I’m still waiting,” Derek’s face popped into his head, and he blinked it away, “for someone to realise what a great catch I am.”

“It won’t take that long,” commented Chris, patting Stiles’ hand. “It hasn’t even been that long since you presented. Perhaps they were waiting for it.”

“Sire,” complained Stiles, the blush not letting as he turned to stare at the plate in front of him. It was embarrassing discussing his late presentation with Lord Parrish sitting at his table. Like the man hadn’t already noticed that among the family of betas, his omega scent stuck out a lot.

“I am just saying, Stiles-”

“The meat is great!” quickly interrupted Jordan, turning to look at Stiles with a smile. “I’ve never had it cooked quite this way, before.”

Stiles took the chance to steer the conversation away from himself and his omeganess like a lifeline, shooting Jordan a grateful smile. “It is actually something I’ve been kind of experimenting with -” he started, letting his tongue fill the silence, earlier conversation easily forgotten by everyone else.

It was later on, after Jordan had insisted to help Stiles with washing up that the man brought up the discussion before.

Jordan cleared his throat, and Stiles’ eyes snapped to him immediately. “Captain Argent is right, Young Stiles. I have spoken to you but for a little and I’m completely charmed already,” he confided, and Stiles did his very best to not break a plate in surprise. “In fact, I have already a mind of asking them to begin wooing you.”

That was… 

Stiles looked away from him to his wet hands, and then back. “But you barely know me.”

Jordan smiled. “Truth is, I was there when your father read your letters.” He grinned when Stiles’ mouth opened in a shocked ‘o’. “He spoke so highly of both you and Allison, and showed me some of the letters you sent him, and I was immediately drawn to you. I wanted to meet you, before officially declaring my intentions.”

The brunette cleared his throat, pretending to be coyer than he was. “So what was your plan? Accidentally bumping into me on the streets and striking a conversation?”

“I’ve never been particularly subtle,” told him the soldier, shrugging slightly. “I would have probably told your father that I was interested in a meeting with you before declaring my intentions.”

Part of Stiles was kind of stuck at how incredibly archaic Lord Parrish’s train of thought was. The other part was more interested in, “So what  _ are  _ your intentions, your lordship?”

The man took the last plate from Stiles’ hands, putting down to dry with the rest. Then, he offered the younger brunette his arm, smiling encouragingly until Stiles placed a hand on it and followed him in the living room, where his fathers were both sat next to each other, speaking in low voices.

The Captain’s eye fixed on Stiles’ hand on Jordan’s arm, and something like a smile flashed in his eye, while the blacksmith just looked at them curiously.

Stiles’ heart was beating frighteningly fast in his chest. This was  _ not  _ what he had expected when he had opened the door to the soldier earlier. 

During the lunch Jordan had proven himself to be witty, funny, and smart, as well as incredibly loyal to his sire and to the Crown. He had complimented Stiles’ cooking plenty, and had nothing but good things to say to the omega.

And he was a respected member in their society. His name preceded him, and if both High Society - he was a  _ lord _ ! - and his sire respected him, then there truly wasn’t any reason for Stiles to not be interested in this union.

“Captain Argent, Master Stilinski, I would like to ask for permission to woo your son, Young Stiles Stilinski,” and wow, Stiles had never thought his father’s eyes could go that wide.

John Stilinski glanced between Lord Parrish, Stiles and his husband, clearly expecting someone to shout “Ah, we jest!”, or something of the sort, and Stiles couldn’t exactly fault him for that. Even he, who had basically been told by Lord Parrish a few moments ago that he was interested, couldn’t help but be a little suspicious that this wasn’t an elaborate - and hurtful - jest on his part.

But Chris just smiled, quite pleased with himself. “I knew there was no way you deemed my letters important enough to come see me not even an hour after Prince Peter and Queen Talia dismissed us!” He ignored the sound his husband was making next to him, instead turning a more serious gaze on Stiles. “What do you think, son?”

What  _ did  _ he think?

Stiles didn’t know.

Lord Jordan Parrish was perfect. He was prestigious, and the only remaining member of his household. He was slightly traditional, but so was Stiles. He worked with - and was trusted by - his sire, which meant he was cherished by the Queen’s army. He was an Alpha, which complimented his Omega needs perfectly.

But his stupid, foolish omega needs were trying to convince Stiles that he  _ already  _ had an Alpha looking after him, that he already had someone else with green eyes and great smile that would look after him.

Even though he had  _ never  _ spent a heat with him, never spent more than a few moments alone with him after his engagement to Princess Paige was made public, never having accepted  _ any  _ gift from him since they met.

Perhaps the fact that even his omega brain was aware that Prince Derek wasn’t  _ his _ that allowed him to speak, but it didn’t matter. 

Prince Derek was going to be King one day - either here in their own realm, or being some queen, or king’s, consort somewhere else.

Lord Parrish was there,  _ right now _ , and wanted to court him. And god knows, maybe once he got to know him better, he might decide that he didn’t like Stiles as much as he had thought he did.

So he smiled. “I would love to be courted by Lord Parrish.”

Thank god there was no active werewolf in his family.

* * *

“ _ Hear, hear! By order of Her Majesties, Queen Talia and King Jasper III: Every man and woman of age are cordially invited to the Royal Court for a night of celebration for the return of the Queen’s Royal Guards. _

_ A Party has been assembled to celebrate Prince Peter II’s arduous job at keeping the peace at the border of King Ennis and Queen Kali, as well as a welcome of Queen Marin and Princess Braeden of Sherwood! _

_ By Their Majesties’ order you must arrive in the Eve when the clock calls the ninth hour, to join the festivities!” _

Young Lydia turned to look at Young Stiles as the caller walked away, ready to start reciting his announcement again, and arched an eyebrow at him.

The brunet spared her a quick look, eyebrow furrowing. “What?”

She pursed her lips a little. “You see, Young Stiles. I’ve been hearing some whispers, lately.”

“Clearly, another manifestation of your banshee powers,” he deftly interrupted.

The red haired girl didn’t raise at the bait, continuing to walk with him. “Whispers about you. Being courted. By a mysterious lord…”

She glanced at him, even more interested when she noticed the blush creeping on his cheeks. 

“Aren’t you already betrothed? And isn’t there some general disappointment and frowning from everyone whenever two omegas get together?”

Lydia continued gazing at him.

Stiles sighed, pressing a hand on his forehead. “Does everyone know already?”

The girl shrugged delicately. “No. Your sister was speaking to Young Scott about someone coming to see you guys and how he came by the next day too, with a bunch of flowers for you. And yesterday, I saw you speaking to Lord Parrish.” The corner of her lips quirked. “I’ve always been good at maths. Now, explain yourself.”

The brunette sighed again, finally coming to a stop on one of the benches overseeing the small lake. “Lord Parrish came to see my sire on the day of the troops’ returns, and ended up staying for a meal with us. After the dinner, he offered to help me with cleaning everything, and told me that my sire had spoken of me to him, and that he was interested in me and wanted to woo and get to know me. I was in shock, and he officially asked my fathers if he would be allowed to woo me.”

Lydia looked a little surprised at the news, then frowned. “And you accepted.”

Stiles shrugged. “I accepted.”

“You don’t look particularly pleased, Young Stiles. What’s on your mind?”

“I am pleased,” immediately answered the boy. “He is quite handsome, and he is a  _ Lord _ . He is cordial, and a little traditional, and smart, and my sire adores him.” he listed off, eyes fixed on the lake in front of them.

The girl didn’t look away from him, and Stiles pursed his lips. “He is  _ perfect  _ verily. I do not understand why I cannot bring myself to be enthusiastic about this, he’s perfect. I  _ should  _ be euphoric.”

“You should,” agreed Lydia.

Stiles turned to look at her, biting his lip nervously. “Are you happy with your engagement to Young Jackson?”

“Sir Jackson,” primly corrected him the girl, automatically smiling. “Our relationship is a little complicated, and we have hit a couple of rough spots. But ovverral, I am quite content with my choice. Everyone  _ knew  _ we were going to end up together. It took both me and Jackson a while to realise that that wasn’t an inherently bad thing. So yeah, I am happy with our relationship.”

She didn’t ask him if  _ he  _ was happy with his relationship with Lord Parrish. She knew the answer to that - both the Stiles answer and the real answer to that question.

After a few more silent moments, the girl spoke again. “He is quite handsome. I am sure you two will make beautiful green bambi eyed children with moles and light brown hair,” she offered.

At that Stiles brightened up, a mischievous smile on his face. “We  _ would  _ make pretty babies.” 

“Will he accompany you to the celebrations or will you arrive with your family?” she asked then, standing up so that they could continue making their way towards Alchemist Deaton’s office. “I would like to meet him, if he plans on becoming your husband.”

“No threatening or scaring him away, Young Lydia,” he berated, eyes narrowing in suspicion. “And as the soldiers were previously aware of the celebrations, he has already extracted a promise from my fathers that they will allow for him, me, Allison and Scott to arrive together in his carriage. He has also arranged for another one for my parents.”

Lydia winced slightly at that. “How did Young Scott take it?”

The brunet mimicked her wince, recalling the look on his best friend’s face. “He wasn’t happy, but it was very clear Lord Parrish hadn’t done it to offend him or point out his inadequacies. I doubt Lord Parrish is even aware of who the McCall Household is. But it still hurts knowing that your betrothed, her family, and basically everyone around you has more money than you.” He seemed to straighten up considerably at that. “Which is another reason why Lord Parrish is such a good match for me. I am happy. I  _ am _ .”

The red haired girl didn’t say anything to that.

She didn’t need to hear the blip in his heart to know he was lying.

* * *

The Great Hall was always a wonder to look at, no matter how many times you found yourself in it. Which, to be honest, wasn’t many, seen as the place was mostly used once a year to celebrate the dance of the betrothed _._

And each year, Queen Talia and King Jasper outdid themselves.

When Stiles arrived, the celebrations hadn’t officially started yet, and everyone was talking around the tables that were situated at opposite walls, allowing for more space once the dancing and partying began.

The food was still being served by various servants, and the only already filled table was the big one at the northern wall - the Royal Family’s table.

“Would you like me to go find us a seat?” asked Jordan, when they all came to stop.

Stiles could already see the way some of the people inside where watching them, probably putting two and two together. He wasn’t ready for the whispers when he went to sit with the older man.

Instead, he pointed to where Lydia, Jackson, Erica and Danny were standing, waiting for him. “I uh, was going to speak with my friends while we wait for the event to start. But…” he licked his lips nervously, very aware of his father standing not too far from them, even as the Captain tried to convince him to leave. “Save me a seat next to you?”

The smile on Jordan’s face at those words was worth everything.

The Lord bowed to him, pressing a soft kiss on the back of his hand, before straightening up and walking away.

Stiles did his best to ignore the looks some people were shooting him, walking as fast as he could towards his friends.

“Young Lydia, Young Erica, Young Danny, Young Jackson,” he bowed quickly, flashing them a little grin.

Erica had ditched her earlier armour for a  [ short sleeved blue top and gold speckled blue mesh skirt ](https://66.media.tumblr.com/3b276967cb8663ef4503abcacc7dc8d4/tumblr_podu7oDfoc1rn7p1ko2_400.gifv) . Even though she had been gone - basically been on  _ war  _ \- for weeks now, her skin was as perfect as ever, her jewellery matched her dress, her hair wasn’t the slightest out of place and her smile when she spotted him was radiant.

“Young Stiles, I’m gone less than three months and you get yourself a new boytoy?” she questioned, slapping him with way more force than necessary on the arm.

The blush on Stiles’ face didn’t disappear. “He is  _ not  _ a boytoy,”

“Exactly,” interrupted Lydia, a superior smirk on her face. She fixed her flower crown - a crown that matched her  [ dress  ](https://data.whicdn.com/images/177578664/original.png) \- with an impudent smirk on her face. “He is  _ wooing  _ our dear Stiles, here.”

“Wooing?” questioned Jackson, the incredulity in his voice quite insulting, to be honest. “ _ Him _ ? Wooing Stiles? Erica, aren’t you aware of who that man is?”

The blonde looked at him with a confused look, while Danny appeared even more intrigued. Jackson rolled his eyes. “You’re so… that’s Lord Parrish!” he hissed, looking at the man from over his shoulder. “He was always at the front lines with Captain Argent,” Erica’s eyebrows shot up, recognition colouring her features, while Jackson narrowed his eyes at Stiles. “ _ How  _ did  _ you  _ manage to bag him? Did your father force him or something?”

The brunet rolled his eyes. “He showed up at my doorstep on the same day you guys returned and decided on the spot that he was going to woo me,” He sniffed. “I’m a  _ great  _ catch.”

Jackson made to say something vulgar or impolite, when Lydia elbowed him in the stomach. “Anyway, you two were in the middle of telling us about how you ambushed King Ennis’ troops and forced him to back off.”

When her betrothed immediately leaped up at the chance to show off, Stiles shot Lydia a grateful smile.

To be honest, since the beginning of their friendship group, he had always been closer to Erica and Scott - and Laura. He had always had a thing for Lydia, especially since she was a close friend of his sister and their houses weren’t too far from each other.

While they hadn’t grown up in the same circles, their circles often overlapped. 

The feelings had eventually fizzled out the more time they spent together, especially after they started hanging out with the crown princess’ and prince. 

Once his affections shifted, almost like she knew - and he wouldn’t be surprised if she did; he had never been very subtle and Lydia had  _ always  _ been very smart - she had started speaking more than two words at a time to him.

When the two of them were selected as the new apprentices to Deaton, it was like they simply just…  _ clicked. _ They became closer, and when they both presented as omegas, Stiles was obligated to say that they were now best friends.

Sure, he still deeply cared for Erica and Scott. They had grown up together.

But now they were both werewolves, they were both part of the Queen’s army - Erica part of the field battle division, Scott under the castle protection - and they were betas. The things that had first thrown them together weren’t there anymore.

Still, you didn’t spend half of your life with someone and suddenly not be close friends anymore, he thought, as Erica also tuned out of the conversation with Jackson, Danny and Lydia, and pulled Stiles close to her.

“Are you serious about this, Stiles?” immediately questioned the blonde, her gaze sharp.

Stiles took a second to look at where Jordan was sitting, speaking to someone he didn’t recognise. He shrugged. “He is handsome, cordial, smart and many love him,” he said, echoing his words to Lydia from the other day. “He is also a Lord. He is perfect for me.”

“You’re in love with someone else,” quietly informed him Erica, refusing to bulge when the boy glared at her. “Is that fair?”

“To Lord Parrish? I can deal with my…  _ crush _ ,” he spat the word like it was some sort of curse. “And I am sure I can learn to love him too. Isn’t this the whole purpose of wooing, after all?”

The blonde haired beta’s gaze was inscrutable for a second. “I was asking if it was fair to  _ you, _ ” She clarified, and the boy had to look away from those way too knowing brown eyes.

Instead he cleared his throat. “How is it going with Sir Vernon? He came out with Isaac during our last outing, but he seemed to miss you.”

The attempt at derailing the conversation wasn’t subtle, but Erica wouldn’t have been his friends for so long had she not been able to know when to drop something and when to not. She rolled her eyes. “I have seen him only a handful of times, since my return. But I haven’t seen Isaac either, so I’m assuming the Queen hasn’t allowed any of them to leave the castle during the preparations.” She pouted. “I miss him.”

He gave her a little smirk. “Does that mean you guys will be attending the dance of the betrothed, this year?”

Her trademark impish grin was back with a vengeance. “If he doesn’t propose by then, I will have to do it myself. And something tells me, that it’s exactly what he wants me to do.”

“You were the one who started courting and wooing him!”

Erica tutted, but before she could say anything more, trumpets started resounding, and everyone fell silent and stood straighter.

As the Royal Family started trickling in, Stiles couldn’t help but stare, always incredibly impressed at the display of power and beauty that accompanied their every move.

First came Princess Malia and Prince Theo, coming to stand at the left side of the table. Then their mother, Princess Corinne, and the Queen’s brother, Prince Peter.

There were many talks about Princess Corinne and Prince Peter, and how they weren’t  _ truly  _ married, or how maybe Talia had forced them to get married because of the reputation Peter was acquiring - a very similar reputation to that of Prince Theo, probably. There were even talks about how Theo wasn’t  _ even  _ Prince Peter’s son, but Princess Corinne’s bastard. Stiles didn’t normally listen to rumours, but that would honestly explain  _ so much  _ about the man’s behaviour.

After Peter, there was a slight pause, before Princess Cora walked inside, head held up high and came to stand behind a chair, two or three seats away from the right side of the table. And then…

Then came Prince Derek.

Stiles did his best to mimic the expression of everyone around him, but it was hard to do, when he looked like  [ _ that _ ](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/7b/6f/8e/7b6f8e35d1f6e9c57e08400c8c43a491.jpg) . He, like the rest, didn’t take a seat, just came to stand behind his chair, green eyes vacantly looking at the crowd in front of him. 

Prince Derek always looked handsome, but in that dark jacket, with that white tunic peeking from behind said jacket, with that black belt fastened around a pair of leather pants that probably cost more than Stiles’ entire house? He looked  _ divine _ .

Stiles didn’t even notice when Princess Laura walked in in a  [ spectacle  ](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/67/69/ac/6769ac4a2bc2e22f611d4bb382fa10a2.jpg) of gold and leather, but when the trumpets started again, he startled, his heart suddenly sputtering to a start.

And Derek’s eyes snapped in Stiles’ direction like a moth to a flame, like somehow he had made enough noise for everyone to hear him.

But no one else was looking at him, everyone waiting for the trumpets to stop so that the King and the Queen could arrive. Just Prince Derek, blinking at him from all the way across the room.

Stiles’ throat felt dry. He wanted to move, walk away from the prince’s gaze, but he couldn’t move now without looking incredibly disrespectful. How did the prince even notice him? Sure, Stiles’ friends often came to stand in that general area whenever an event like this happened, but Derek’s eyes hadn’t wandered, looking around until he found him.

His eyes had just snapped straight to where Stiles was standing like he  _ knew  _ that Stiles was there. 

The Prince’s eyes only moved from him when the King and the Queen walked inside, in matching blood orange  [ outfits ](https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-frIpnUd4Orc/VpkQ16nzGpI/AAAAAAAADFg/Ky7uU0yterg/s640/reign%2Bfrancis%2Bcoronation.jpg) , and Stiles focused on that, on how beautiful Queen Talia looked and how regal she appeared.

While he hadn’t spent as much time with the Queen as he had with her children, Stiles had always admired the woman. She had become Queen at the age of 15 following the assassination of her father and subsequent suicide of her mother.

Even when many made noise about her brother being appointed King and someone else to stand as his regent, she had stood tall and refused. She had took the crown from the bloodied bodies of her parents, and quickly had everyone bowing to her.

She had the  _ soul  _ of a Queen, and the heart of the people. Everyone she allied herself with always proved themselves worthy of her, and the few who dared to stand against her were fairly dethroned and stopped.

She never hurt unfairly, and even saved her brother when a plot  _ he  _ concocted against  _ her  _ went awry, pardoning his treason. Many had called that weakness, and a possible threat to her own reign, but Prince Peter had straightened himself out after that.

When she had decided to marry then Prince Jasper, a bastard of the Arano family, she did so with the people’s full support.

For a long time, whenever he was asked what he wanted to be when he grew up, Stiles had said “Like Queen Talia”.

“My people!” called Queen Talia then, when she came to sit next to Laura and her husband, “Welcome, to our palace. As we all know, today we are here to celebrate my brother, Prince Peter, in the way he has handled the situation between King Ennis and Queen Kali and their territory dispute.

“Prince Peter has distinguished himself in his talent to permeate the peace, deploy minimal amount of forces and waste none of our resources and/or our people.

“By the time King Deucalion arrived, to show his support and help, Prince Peter had completely diffused the situation and, once again, shown the power and strength - both physical and of mind - that is so often associated with the Hale line and the people of Beacon Hills!” She took a glass from in front of her and raised it in her brother’s direction. “Raise a glass!”

“Hear, hear!” came many voices from the room, drinks being raised all around.

Prince Peter inclined his head slightly at that, a little proud smirk on his face.

“And now,” continued Queen Talia, “join me in welcoming Queen Marin and Princess Braeden of Sherwood!”

Everyone turned to the main doors, on the other side of the room, and started clapping when a small entourage of soldiers and ladies walked in, two dark skinned women walking in the middle, head held high.

Stiles kept clapping even as his palms started hurting, until the two women came to stand behind their chairs next to Princess Cora and at the end of the table.

“Thank you for having us,” said the older of the two. “The people of Sherwood greatly suffered during the dispute of our King Ennis and Queen Kali. Seen the rapid and, dare I say, spectacular manner in which you settled that down, we couldn’t not come here to Beacon Hills and meet with you. But please,” and here she gave Talia a smile. “Let us discuss this at another time. For now, let’s enjoy this delightful banquet.”

Talia tilted her head courteously. “Let’s.”

+

Let it be said that his aunt and mother together knew how to throw a magnificent party. In a matter of days they had transformed the Great Hall, decorated using the colours of Beacon Hills and the colours of Sherwood, served the best of what Beacon Hills could provide without looking like they were showing off and hired the best bards that money could buy.

But even so, the stunning scenery and delicious banquet couldn’t hold Derek’s attention for very long.

It was like Stiles’ heartbeat had become his very own siren.

Ever since he had seen after his presentation as an Omega, it was like Derek couldn’t  _ stop  _ hearing Stiles’ heartbeat. He could it hear no matter how many other noises tried to drown it, no matter the distance.

And it wasn’t like he was  _ trying _ . He had been doing his best to ignore the boy ever since Stiles had asked him so, and succeeding. But now he was  _ right  _ there, a few feet away, and Derek’s eyes kept going to him.

“Jesus, brother,” hissed Cora next to him, a disappointed look in her eyes.

Derek startled, looking at his sister in confusion. “When did you and Laura switch seats?”

“After it became increasingly clear that I wasn’t very good at holding meaningful conversations with our guests and that you had no intention of paying any attention to them,” she hissed, and Derek felt his ears turning red. Her gaze softened. “Look, I understand that you have feelings for Young Stiles. But as you can see, he’s here with someone else. Another Alpha. And Sir Isaac told me that he heard Sir Erica and Young Lydia saying that Lord Parrish has expressed interest in courting Young Stiles, even asking his parents about it.”

Derek’s eyes snapped back towards Stiles when he heard the brunet’s heart beating faster all of a sudden. The boy was looking up from his table to - and Derek ground his teeth as hard as possible, stopping the fangs from descending - Prince Theo, who looked like he was asking for a dance.

Cora was still talking beside him, but Derek couldn’t look away as Stiles’ smiled, his heart betraying how uncomfortable he was with the request. 

Couldn’t this  _ Lord Parrish _ that was supposedly courting Stiles notice how uncomfortable the boy looked as he followed the Prince on the dance floor? 

Young Stiles probably felt like it would look rude of him to refuse Prince Theo, but if Lord Parrish played the jealous card, there was nothing the Prince could say or do to complain. 

Instead the man just watched them dance together, and Derek felt helpless.

“You have to let him  _ go _ , Derek,” finally said his sister, getting his attention and looking at him with a worried glance. “You do realise that, right? With the way Princess Braeden has been looking at you all night, I wouldn’t be surprised if I found out that the reason they are here is to forge an alliance through marriage.”

Derek didn’t even glance at Princess Braeden, glancing down at his sister hoping his heartbreak wasn’t visible in his eyes. “I know that. It’s just,” and it was silly, he knew how stupid he sounded. “I find it unfair. He said goodbye, but I. I never got the chance, you know?”

His sister stared at him for a few seconds, eyebrows furrowed. She was only 16, a year younger than Stiles and his friends, two years younger than him and Laura. Yet, she looked way older than them in that moment. She looked a little like Talia.

“You need closure,” she decreed, nodding to herself like it made sense.

Derek wasn’t sure what to answer to that, but apparently Cora didn’t need an answer. Instead, she stood up, a small smile gracing her lips and she was back to being the child she was, the mischief maker of the family.

Her ladies called out a startled “Princess Cora?”, but the girl didn’t listen, walking from her seat and coming to stand next to the bard, speaking to them in low voices.

When they nodded and the song they were playing came to a stop, everyone’s attention was on the Princess, and Derek stared at his sister in confusion.

Well, until the new [song](https://open.spotify.com/track/6iB4FVNBjXR9M5nhvSlZde?si=en6nzN1mTGCsqovX6XJ-3w) started playing, and Cora stepped away from the Royal table and the bards, clapping her hands along to the song.

“Brother! Sister!” she called, happiness radiating on her face as the familiar tunes started ringing around the room. “Sir Isaac! Sir Vernon! Sir Jackson! Sir Erica!”

Ever since they had all started presenting, a something like a divide had descended into their small group. But be it the nostalgic tunes playing, or the fact that it was  _ Cora  _ calling for them, Derek saw everyone moving towards the Princess.

He heard Stiles’ heart speeding up as Cora took his hand in hers, pulling him along. And then Young Scott took Stiles’ hand, and Young Allison took his, and Young Lydia, and Sir Jackson, and Young Danny, and Sir Isaac, and Sir Vernon, and Sir Erica, and he found himself moving before he could even decide it, Laura’s hand in his as they completed the circle.

They all jumped around together in the circle, happiness and joy - childhood - brightening their features.

It was like they were all 12 again - well, when Cora was 11, Derek was 14 and Laura was 15 - and Adrian Harris had been tasked with teaching them how to dance properly.

They broke the circle and stood in two lines of six, bowing to the person in front of them before joining their palms together. He could still hear Adrian’s words in his mind as he danced.

“ _ Step, step, arms on her waist, Prince Derek!” _

He put a hand on Cora’s waist, his sister grinning happily at him following his lead. 

“ _ And now break down the arch!” _

Everyone stepped back into the two lines, creating an arch with their arms held high above their heads. Then Erica and Boyd put down their arms running from their end of the arch to the opposite one. And Allison and Scott, Lydia and Jackson, Stiles and Laura, Isaac and Danny, and he and Cora.

“ _ Break into threes, hands together and turn, turn turn!” _

Erica’s grin as Jackson and Derek took their respective places was scintillating. 

“I love your sister!” called out the blonde, and even Jackson’s sneer had disappeared.

Derek could feel everyone else around them clapping and staring in fascination to their dance, but he didn’t care, jumping along with the other two. “I missed this!”

“ _ Now break into fours! Snap snap snap, turn turn turn!” _

Allison joined their trio turning around under their arms as they continued turning.

She smiled brightly at Derek, the guarded look she had started adopting when she was with the Hale siblings after she had presented and Derek got betrothed to Paige gone. “I missed us!”

“ _ Duos once again, within your fours, clap clap clap,” _

Allison’s arm slid around his waist and Derek’s smile was soft too. “If this is our last dance, then it’s all worth it,” he told her, before twirling her in a circle around him.

“Closure,” she said, nodding as they stepped away from each other, hands grabbing is.

“ _ Circle dance, circle dance,”  _

He held Danny and Laura’s hands tightly, smiling when he took in the pure and unadulterated glee in his sister’s eyes and the contentedness in Danny’s expression.

When having those lessons with Adrian, there had never been actual laughter or happiness in their faces.

The man was a serious perfectionist, and anything that was complete concentration wasn’t allowed.

Learning to dance with him had never been a happy memory.

Now, thanks to Cora, it was.

“ _ Break circle, follow your partner. Last dance, slow dance,” _

As the music slowed down for the last part, Derek’s eyes found Stiles’, finding those whiskey brown doe eyes already on him.

Derek wouldn’t force Stiles to dance with him. Only six of them were actual couples, which meant there were four other people he could dance with if Stiles didn’t want to dance with him. Even though Cora had pulled all this mostly so that Derek could dance with Stiles one last time. Even if they always ended the dance with each other.

Then Stiles’ expression softened, the usual bright smile that Derek had become accustomed linking with  _ home  _ and  _ happiness  _ shining brightly at him, his rare dimple making an appearance.

Derek’s hand fell on Stiles’ waist, and he held tightly onto the other, leaning his forehead on Stiles’.

The brunette’s heartbeat was pounding in Derek’s ears, but there was no hint of nerves or fear in Stiles’ eyes. Just…  _ so much happiness. _

How could Derek step away when Stiles looked like that while he was in Derek’s embrace? When he felt like he was finally where he belonged?

“I’m glad we can dance together one last time,” he told him, moving slowly.

Stiles’ smile dimmed, and Derek  _ hated  _ himself for it. “Last time?”

Derek felt his own smile going down a notch. “How can I ever dance with you - hold you in my arms - when you belong with Lord Parrish?” Stiles’ eyes widened, and Derek huffed. “Yeah, I heard about him courting you.”

“I’m sorry.”

Of all the words he had expected Stiles to say, ‘ _ I’m sorry _ ’ wasn’t one of them. He made to step away, so that he could see, understand what Stiles was saying, but the brunet held him down where he was.

Derek sighed, closing his eyes. “Just tell me. Are you? Are you happy?”

The song came to an end and Derek wanted to smack his younger self for complaining all the time about how needlessly long the dance was. It felt like only seconds had passed since he had started dancing with Stiles before his hand slipped out of his.

Derek took a step back, but didn’t move away, staring at the younger boy in front of him.

Stiles’ smile was blinding again, as he stared at Derek, a fondness in his eyes that he hadn’t seen since Paige.

“I’m happy right now.”

That wasn’t the question Derek had meant to ask. But their song was over, and others had started to move on the dance floor, and Adrian’s voice in his head was just a memory again.

+

“How are your feet?” asked Lord Parrish, a while later.

Stiles snorted a little, nodding where Lydia and Jackson were twirling around. “I’m fine. Jackson though? He looks on the verge of tears.”

The beta soldier looked particularly pained, while his betrothed kept moving around him. And  _ she  _ was the one wearing heels.

Lord Parrish arched an eyebrow, eyes on the couple. “How long have you know them?”

Stiles pursed his lips, taking a sip of the grape juice the older man had acquired for him. Even though Stiles was allowed to drink alcohol now, since he had presented and all. “We came together when we were about 11 years old. You may recall how Queen Talia had decided at some point for her children to learn through a school like regimen, since they couldn’t attend the  _ actual  _ school. She then proceeded to ask for the smartest human children - me, Danny and Lydia - and raffled four children from the werewolf bite list - Scott, Isaac, Boyd, Erica - to be specially taught by Sir Finstock and Sir Harris. Since Allison was my twin, she was allowed to come with me. Jackson’s parents plead with the Queen and payed Sir Finstock and Sir Harris until he was also accepted.” He smiled, shrugging a little. “Even though it was just one year of our lives we spent together, apparently bonds like those don’t simply disappear.”

Jordan turned his eyes on him, and Stiles paused in his movements, the edge in them almost making him nervous. “And how long has Prince Derek been in love with you?”

Despite the very placid manner in which he asked the question, Stiles violently startled, knocking a chalice that only Jordan’s quick reflexes salvaged.

“Excuse me?” he asked, voice coming out louder and more high pitched than Stiles had planned. 

Lord Parrish frowned a little. “Prince Derek. He is in love with you, has definitely been for a while,” he informed him, and Stiles’ eyes slipped towards the Royal table.

When of course, Prince Derek was sitting, eyebrows creased and staring at him with almost worry in his expression. Thank  _ god  _ they were too far and the place was too loud for Derek to hear him.

Jordan took Stiles’ hand in his, and the brunet shot down all of his instincts to yank said hand away. “I have been close to his sister and him for a long time,” he told him, keeping his eyes on him. “He is aware that it’s his duty to marry whoever Beacon Hills needs him to marry. I made sure to let him know that.”

“I meant to disrespect,” quickly told him the older man, and Stiles felt bad immediately. 

He didn’t know what he felt bad about, to be honest.  _ Of course _ , he was aware that Prince Derek Hale loved him. He wasn’t  _ stupid,  _ nor was he oblivious.

The way Derek looked at him? He had only ever seen that look another place before.

In the mirror.

But it didn’t matter. This wasn’t some epic love story; this was a realm, and Stiles couldn’t find a happy ending no matter how hard he looked for one.

For a while, he had hoped. He had thought everything would be all right, that somehow, they would be together.

But then Princess Paige happened, and Stiles woke up.

That’s why he had made it clear to the older man to just… leave him alone. To stay away, so that both he and Stiles could somehow shake those feelings off. 

“If you’ll allow me,” was saying Jordan, and Stiles blinked back into the conversation, hoping that the man hadn’t noticed the way his attention had shifted. “I’ll do my best to grow to love you as much as he does.” He smiled, and Stiles did his best to mimic it. “Perhaps, next time we will be in this Great Hall will be as betrothed. And I’ll be able to tell you how I love you. And you’ll be able to say it to me.”

Stiles smiled to him.

“I,”  _ treacherous heartbeat,  _ “hope so”,  _ lying heartbeat,  _ “too.”

* * *

When Princess Braeden appeared next to him, asking him if he ‘ _ would be so kind’ _ to show her around Beacon Hills, Derek was not particularly surprised.

His mother, father, Laura and Marin had spent a lot of time in the offices, which meant they were probably devising the kind of allegiance that would only be solidified with marriage.

He would know, the last time something like this had happened, Derek had been sat down and explained that he was going to marry Princess Paige.

He hadn’t  _ hated  _ Princess Paige. She wasn’t his first choice of person to - and no, Derek wasn’t going to go down  _ that  _ route.

Point was, after getting to know her, Princess Paige hadn’t been terrible. And, seen as Braeden was probably going to be the girl he would end up marrying, he expected to have to spend some time with the girl beforehand, to get to know her.

Braeden didn’t say anything as they walked out, one of her knights and Sir Boyd following after them, a thoughtful look on her face. 

“A penny for your thoughts?” finally asked Derek, starting to grow antsy.

Princess Braeden looked surprised at his words, before her lips curled into a small smile. “This isn’t your first arranged marriage?”

Derek wasn’t too disappointed. He had known that this was coming. “Is it confirmed, then?”

Braeden shook her head. “Not confirmed, but my sister told me what she was going to try and obtain from this. So, I’m readying myself, mentally.”

“That’s understandable,” he mused, ignoring the twinge of hope that had strung up in his chest when she had admitted that it wasn’t confirmed. “To answer your question, no it is not.”

“And why didn’t the first marriage work out?”

At Derek’s expression souring, Braeden shrugged. “I have the right to know if my future husband will turn out to be a cold blooded killer or something.”

That did startle a laugh from Derek, which in turn made the girl’s lips quirk in a smile. “Not a killer; a werewolf, but not a killer.”

“I’ll take it. As long as you don’t bite me, then it should be fine,” she decided. She gave him a side-way glance. “And don’t think I didn’t notice how you aren’t answering the whole ex thing.”

The prince shrugged again. “Even if I bit you, you wouldn’t turn into a werewolf. My mother is planning for Laura to become the next Alpha after her,” he explained, neatly ignoring the last part of her statement.

He wasn’t in a rush to say that Princess Paige had a rather romantic view of how their relationship would go and hadn’t taken it much too kindly when she realised the Prince she was about to marry was already in love with someone else.

Braeden looked distracted enough by his statement. “Are you saying that your sister is both in line for the crown and for being the Alpha?”

“Theoretically,” admitted Derek. He was confident his mother was having the same conversation with Queen Marin, which was the only reason he spoke. “Mother has set a deadline, though. If Laura doesn’t find a partner before she is 25 of age, she will only become Alpha, and I will become King.”

“And that doesn’t bother you?” questioned the girl, surprised.

Derek bit down on his lip. “Not particularly. I don’t really want either role. Being the Alpha means guiding our family and every werewolf around; being King means looking after your people and guiding them.” He made a face, “I don’t think I am in a place to guide anyone and-”

He stumbled over his words, his heart starting to beat faster as he heard a frantic heartbeat in his ears. A frantic and  _ familiar  _ heartbeat.

His head turned before he could try and monitor his reaction, immediately finding the owner of the heartbeat standing a little farther from them, arms linked together with another man.

“Prince Derek?” asked Braeden, and Derek blinked again.

The heartbeat didn’t sound scared, more nervous and confused than anything else.

He didn’t want to dwell on how he got all of this from a heartbeat only.

“Hey, isn’t that one of the people you danced with the other day? And his Lordship, Jordan Parrish?” she questioned, immediately walking towards the couple.

Derek made a half move to stop her, before sighing softly.

“You okay, Der?” whispered Boyd from behind him, low enough that only the werewolf could hear him.

Like Isaac, Boyd only bothered being super respectful when others were around. 

Derek nodded curtly, already walking behind Braeden as she approached the other - and it hurt, it  _ hurt _ to refer to them as such even in his head - couple.

Stiles’ heart had started beating rapidly again as he approached, and Derek forced his expression to remain neutral.

“Your Highnesses,” greeted Jordan Parrish, with a deferential bow in both of their direction.

Stiles blinked, letting go of the other man’s arm so that he too could bow at the two royals in front of him. “Your Highnesses,” he repeated, eyes on the ground in front of them.

“Lord Parrish,” started Braeden, with more familiarity than Derek expected, “was one of the people Captain Argent assigned on checking the perimeter of our territory while everyone else was deployed by Prince Peter,” she explained. “He was instrumental in allowing me and my Queen to remain calm throughout the dispute.”

“I only did my duty,” told him Jordan, a small smile on his face. He appeared tense though, and Derek couldn’t figure out why exactly.

Braeden glanced towards Stiles, who was still staring at the ground. “Is this your husband?”

Derek kept his face as blank as possible as Stiles’ eyes snapped up, wide as he looked at the Princess. “N-no, your Highness,” he managed, shooting a quick look at Jordan. “Lord Parrish is, uhm,”

“I’m courting him,” explained Jordan, looking at the blush growing on Stiles’ face with amusement. 

Stiles gave him a small smile at this, and Derek had enough. Because even if he managed to fully let go Stiles, to go as close as forgetting him as possible, there was no way he could stand and observe him and Jordan being all cute and cosy as possible.

“As pleasant as this has been,” he started, and didn’t miss the way Stiles’ eyes went back on the ground rather than on Derek. “Me and Princess Braeden must resume our walk back to the Castle.”

The Princess pouted slightly. “Must we?”

Derek didn’t even  _ pretend _ that it was working on him. “We must.”

They exchanged goodbyes, Stiles bowing at them both without making eye contact, and then resumed their own walks.

Braeden hummed as they walked. “I see.”

The prince felt his teeth clenching together. “You see?”

The Princess just smiled, albeit a little apologetic. “Why Princess Paige couldn’t go through with it. You are not very subtle.” 

Before Derek could bite out an apology - he wasn’t surprised she had noticed. Anyone who had ever spent more than 10 seconds with Derek while Stiles was in his presence would have noticed - Braeden spoke again. “I don’t mind.”

The werewolf stopped in his tracks, turning to her in surprise. “You… don’t?”

The woman rolled her eyes. “This is nothing more than a business transaction, Prince Derek. Verily, I’d find it darling it if we ended up as something more; you aren’t that bad on the eyes,” she said winking, and Derek let out a surprised snort. “But I’m quite content with being just friends. I’m not doing this for me, after all; I’m doing it for my people.”

Derek knew that Braeden hadn’t said it to upset him or anything, but he had never felt as selfish as he did now. It was his duty as a Prince, as a Hale, to do whatever it was right for his people. 

And Stiles had  _ known  _ that even before Derek had, and had stepped back to allow Derek to do his duty.

And still,  _ still _ , he couldn’t stop himself from being so heartbroken about this, he always seemed to hear Stiles’ heartbeat whenever he was upset or startled no matter where he was, and he couldn’t stop feeling like he lost a limb every time he saw him and Jordan together.

What the hell was wrong with him?

* * *

Knowing that Derek was going to move on and  _ seeing  _ it were two completely different things, Stiles had discovered.

While he had known that with the new Queen and Princess in court there was a chance that Derek was going to end up getting betrothed, he hadn’t really minded it.

It was for the people, for the people of Beacon Hills and Queen Marin’s people. It was for the greater good.

It was easy to rationalise: Derek sitting on a throne next to Princess Braeden, both of them stone faced as they decided what they would do for the people of Sherwood. 

Apparently Stiles could only compartmentalise when the evidence wasn’t staring at him straight in the face.

Because when he had been walking around with Jordan, enjoying getting to know the other man and had noticed Prince Derek and Princess Braeden leisurely strolling in a manner that easily mirrored his with Jordan, he had nearly had a heart attack.

Had even tried to slither away before either of them would notice them, but before he could lie to Jordan, Derek’s eyes had snapped up and found his.

And then the most awkward and stilted conversation Stiles had ever took part in had started. Not by fault of Jordan or Princess Braeden; of course, both of them had remained completely civil.

No of course it was Stiles who had been unable to look at Derek in the eyes and Derek who had abruptly stopped the conversation and basically flew away from there.

Ever since he had presented as an Omega - actually, ever since Derek had announced that he had to marry Princess Paige - Stiles’ relationship with the royal family had become somewhat stilted. He still spoke to Laura, Derek and Cora, but his tone had assumed a more formal tone. 

But they had never been as awkward as the other day.

And was that it? Was that how their conversations were going to sound from now on?

Stiles didn’t even know how he would handle it if Derek ended up being King and him and Braeden started running Beacon Hills together and, as Deaton’s apprentice, he had to interact with him all the time.

His heart would  _ break _ , he knew that for sure.

He turned his attention on the liquid he was supposed to be mixing into a molten gold mixture and sighed, shaking his head. 

It didn’t matter what would happen to his heart. Derek had a duty, and he would soon enough forget all about Stiles. And Stiles would -

He couldn’t even lie to himself. He would  _ never  _ forget about Derek.

How could he forget about the man he had loved from the moment he had stood over Adrian Harris when he tried to punish Stiles for not being able to focus on the dance movements he was trying to teach?

Derek had crossed his arms and informed him that someone as magical as Stiles was bound to have some excess energy that would manifest in an inability to focus and that, “if you don’t believe me, I’ll be happy to call my mother, the Queen, and have her explain it to you”, and Stiles had just fallen in love with him.

He quickly wiped the stray tear with the back of his hand when he heard the door opening. “Look, Master Alan, I’ve tried,” he started, immediately stopping when he realised it wasn’t Lydia and Deaton returning from the local untamed garden. He grew suddenly still, forcing a smile on his face. “Prince Theo.”

The Prince in question smiled, coming to stand on the other side of the table Stiles was working at. “Young Stiles. What a pleasure to see you!”

He did seem particularly pleased, and Stiles swallowed the nervous knot in his throat. “Is there anything I can help you with?”

The other looked at Stiles head to toe, a sleazy smile appearing on his face as he bit his lower lip. “There is  _ plenty  _ you could help me with,” he told him, and Stiles had to stop himself from throwing up in his face.

He changed tactics. “Master Deaton is on his way back right now, if it’s something particularly complicated I’m sure he would be able to help you.”

“I’m sure you could suffice,” purred the prince, putting a hand on the table.

Stiles retracted his, casually crossing both arms around his chest, very much aware of how fast his heart was beating. “I am just an apprentice. We aren’t allowed to do anything without Master’s express authorisation.” That had, of course, never stopped Stiles before; but it was  _ technically _ the truth, and Theo could hear it.

The man seemed to grow annoyed at the distance Stiles put between the two of them, but he squashed it with a small hurt look. “Is something the matter? I enjoyed dancing with you the other night, and I believed you enjoyed it too.”

Stiles was threading very dangerous waters right now. On one side telling him he enjoyed it would either a) encourage him or b) piss him off when he realised that Stiles was  _ lying _ . Because he had  _ not  _ enjoyed their dance in the slightest.

On the other side, Theo was still a Prince, and if Stiles said he didn’t enjoy it, he ran the risk of upsetting a  _ Royal _ . That wasn’t something Stiles could do without avoiding repercussion, especially when said Royal was a Casanova and potentially dangerous werecoyote who had ruined many others for way less and still managed to get away unscathed.

And Theo knew this. Stiles could see it in his eyes when the man put his hands on the table, leaning forwards slightly.

Stiles wondered whether having a panic attack would freak the prince enough to leave him alone or give him a reason to get closer to Stiles as his heart started beating frighteningly fast. And Theo could hear him.

Perhaps this was what prey animal felt like when they were in presence of predators.

And then suddenly the door was opening again, and in a flash of fangs and claws Stiles felt himself being pulled behind a warm body.

“What on Earth do you believe yourself to be doing?” asked a familiar voice through fangs.

Derek.

Prince Theo looked almost startled at the sudden appearance of his cousin, before he turned back to annoyed. “I was just waiting for Deaton to-”

“You  _ will not  _ lie to me,” growled Derek, and this time a flash of panic settled in Theo’s eyes. 

Stiles saw someone else walking in, breathing hard, but didn’t move from where he was standing. Derek’s back was incredibly tense, like he was moments from springing and attacking Theo.

It was such a far cry from the way Derek usually was, quiet, shy, and almost brooding. 

It took way longer than normal for Stiles to realise that Derek was  _ angry _ .

“I was just teasing,” said Theo, almost whimpering when Derek growled. “I wasn’t going to hurt him…”

“Get out. And never,  _ ever _ , get anywhere near him again,” commanded Derek, “or it will be the last thing you ever do.”

Stiles didn’t even look to see if Theo was leaving, almost gasping when Derek turned around. His entire face was shifted and there was something frightened and still angry in his eyes that Stiles wasn’t sure what to do about.

So, he settled on putting a finger on the spot where Derek’s eyebrows were supposed to be.

“Young Stiles, you should,” and oh, Jordan was the man who had walked in breathing hard after Derek. “He could hurt you. He’s not in control.”

Stiles didn’t listen to the other man, instead tapping Derek’s head gently, eyes lost on the beta shift.

It was far from the first time he had ever seen a werewolf shift, far from the first time he had seen Derek shift. But his fascination with where Derek’s eyebrows could possibly disappear to whenever he shifted remained.

He could hear Derek breathing hard, taking a couple of deep breaths before his face muscles reformed under Stiles’ hand. He only stopped when Derek’s face turned normal, and moved his hand away from his face.

Derek’s eyes were still slightly wild, a question as he took in Stiles’ face.

“I’m okay,” answered Stiles, glad to see the tension finally leaving Derek’s body. “He didn’t touch me. Or even threaten me.” Then a question popped in Stiles’ face, and he tilted his head to the side.

Derek shrugged, “I heard your heartbeat going crazy.” He seemed to realise something, and his expression turned guarded as he took a step back. “I heard your heart going crazy and called Lord Parrish before rushing here with him.”

Stiles took a step back like he had suddenly been burned, and turned an almost panicked look at Jordan.

The man was staring at the two of them intensely, a weird expression on his face that Stiles already knew the meaning of.

Derek didn’t.

“I will let my mother know and have Uncle Peter deal with him. I promise he won’t come anywhere near you ever again,” he informed him, seriously. His face was worried, and Stiles realised his heart had started racing again. And if Derek had managed to hear his panicked heart from however far he was, he could definitely hear it there.

“I’m sure you will,” said Jordan, placidly, and Stiles did his best not to wince at his words.

Derek gave the man a small frown, before nodding at the two of them and walking out of the door.

Stiles turned his eyes to the smashed glass on the floor, the molten gold elixir he was supposed to have been working on all spilled.

When Jordan finally spoke, Stiles was collecting the shards of glass from the floor. “When I saw you two at the celebration the other night, I thought I was fighting with Prince Derek for your affections,” he told him, and Stiles grazed his arm over some of the glass. The man immediately pulled him away from it, already moving them towards some water to clean the wound. Stiles kept his eyes down the entire time.

Jordan pulled his chin up with a finger, green eyes searching in whiskey browns. “But it’s not really a fair fight if you’ve already chosen him, is it?” The brunet ignored how there were tears forming in his eyes, and Jordan’s expression turned gentler. “Before, when you said he was aware of his duty and that he had to marry whoever Beacon Hills needed him to marry… you weren’t fully talking to me, were you?”

“I’m sorry,” finally said Stiles, tears slowly spilling from his eyes. His voice surprisingly didn’t crack. “I’ve tried to but…”

“You’ll never love me,” finished the older man, and why was he so reasonable, why was he so calm? He was so perfect, why couldn’t Stiles just fall in love with him?!

Jordan’s smile was sad - and Stiles hated himself because he did that, he made him sad - as he leaned down and pressed a perfectly chaste kiss on his forehead. “I’m sorry too.”

* * *

When Isaac came to pick him up from his room, telling him that his mother requested the immediate family to come have a meal with Queen Marin and Princess Braeden, Derek knew what to expect.

It was been three days since they had started they talks for the allegiance, which meant it was probably about it. About how Derek was going to marry Princess Braeden.

He had spent plenty of time with her following their outing, and was pleased when they noticed they had particular things in common with one another. 

The friendship the Princess had promised had been surprisingly easy for both of them, which meant that at the very least, they wouldn’t hate each other if they ended up having to rule beside each other.

They’d probably end up like his uncle and Princess Corinne, with maybe less children. Thankfully, with magic, even sex less marriages could still provide children.

He was busy being mentally ready for whatever the meal would end up serving him, which was why he didn’t realise what Boyd and Isaac were whispering about until he heard the word ‘ _ Stiles _ ’ quickly followed by ‘ _ not as miserable _ ’.

The word ‘ _ Stiles _ ’ should  _ never  _ be followed by the word ‘ _ miserable _ ’ which was why, he immediately fell into step with Boyd and Isaac. The two knights gave him a look, but Derek didn’t care, the question out of his mouth like a shot bullet. “What happened to Stiles?”

Boyd shrugged at Isaac, who sighed. “Fine. This didn’t come from me but,” he leant in closer so that others wouldn’t hear easily, “I heard from Erica, who heard from Jackson, who heard from Lydia, who heard from Allison, that Lord Parrish and Stiles’s courtship fell through.”

That… wasn’t what Derek was expecting.

He didn’t particularly  _ liked  _ Jordan Parrish, but he had seemed to like Stiles. And Stiles had never been anything other than excited and a little nervous around him, which meant Stiles didn’t hate him.

Why would they -

His mind flashed to a couple of days before, with Theo. 

God. 

Was it  _ his  _ fault?

But he had brought Parrish, despite what his wolf told him! He had stopped at the man’s house and bellowed to him that Stiles was in danger, before flying to the scene as fast as possible and getting between Stiles and his cousin.

And he had totally backed off once he had explained himself and gotten Theo to leave.

_ Why do you even care _ ? asked a voice in him.  _ Stiles is free. He’s not tethered to anyone anymore. _

Isaac frowned. “I thought you’d be happy about this,”

The blond’s eyebrows shot up when Derek turned a scowl on him. “How can I be happy when Stiles is unhappy? He was okay with Jordan, he was happy.”

The beta wolf stared at him for a second, before turning to Boyd with a head shake. “You’re right. He’s a masochist,” he told him, but Derek’s attention wasn’t on them anymore.

He walked inside the lunch room that his mother had selected, and gave a bow to both Queen Marin and Princess Braeden, before taking his seat between Cora and Laura at the round table.

Both Boyd and Isaac gave a bow, before closing the door carefully behind the Royal Family.

This is why it didn’t  _ matter  _ that Stiles was no longer tethered to anyone.

Derek was.

He looked up when his mother stood up imposing everyone’s attention. Today she was wearing a golden  [ dress ](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/7a/73/9d/7a739dc5c225ba88151c5ff542074415.png) that shone as bright as a beta’s eyes.

“As you all know,” started Queen Talia, never one for introductions. “Me, my husband King Jasper, Princess Laura and Queen Marin, have been working on a manner of joining our two realms in an unbreakable allegiance. It took us a while, but we have finally laid out a proper manner of symbolising our union.”

She smiled, and Derek braced himself. “It is with great honor that I inform you of the betrothal agreement between Queen Marin and Princess Laura,” she finally said and.

Uh.

What?

Cora squealed, jumping out of her chair in a manner that was very un-regal, as she crowded in her sister’s arms.

Queen Talia shook her head amused, while King Jasper promptly laughed at her.

Derek just stared from the way Queen Marin was blushing to Princess Braeden, who appeared as lost as he felt. Good. At least someone was having a normal reaction.

“This is why I insisted on a rehearsal dinner with just us before telling everyone,” said the King, and his wife just shook her head.

“And as usual, I would not be half the Queen I am today without your-”

“ _ Laura _ is getting married?” finally asked Derek, staring at all the faces at the table in confusion. “To Queen Marin?”

His sister looked amused, “Was that not clear, brother?”

“I’m sorry, sister, I came here ready to accept the fact that I was going to wed Princess Braeden,” the princess in question nodded her head, supportive. “So yeah, that was  _ not  _ clear?”

Queen Talia appeared perplexed. “Darling, what gave you the impression that you were going to wed Princess Braeden?”

And well… no one had  _ said  _ it. No one had even  _ implied  _ it. No one had told him that it was anything that was even possible.

When he didn’t say anything, Queen Marin turned to her sister. “Did you two fall in love?” she questioned, and Braeden looked so disgusted that Derek had a hard time not being upset.

“Gods no. I just… There aren’t many lesbian or bisexual princesses around,” she finally admitted, glancing at Laura with a strange look. “I had assumed that I would end up marrying instead.”

“Exactly,” added Derek, grateful. “I didn’t realise that…” he made a vague gesture in Queen Marin’s very amused direction, biting his tongue before he could make another assumption about her sexuality.

“Then you weren’t looking at them properly during the celebration,” commented Cora with an eyeroll. “They were all giggling and blushing like virgins and-”

“Cora!” shouted Derek and Laura, while her parents looked both embarrassed and very much amused.

“What!”

“Coraline, behave,” said her mother, doing her best to sound stern. From the way Cora smirked, it didn’t work. Then she turned her attention to Derek, shaking her head. “Since you are  _ not  _ in love with Princess Braeden and was just confused at the whole situation, I’ll take it you’re okay with the wedding?”

Finally, the whole thing started to make sense to Derek. His sister was getting married. His sister had finally found someone she could marry.

“Laura,” he said, smile blossoming on his face and his sister immediately fell into his arms, holding tightly onto him.

“Yeah. Yeah.”

He grinned at her. “You’re going to be the future Queen of Beacon Hills.  _ And  _ the future Alpha of the Hale Pack,” he told her, and he didn’t miss the way her eyes shone with excitement at the prospect, “And you’re going to be amazing.”

“You are,” agreed Queen Talia, and Derek realised it then.

When Laura and Cora both turned to him with happiness radiating in their eyes, when they nodded slowly at him.

“You’re going to be Queen,” he repeated, and Laura’s smile somehow grew.

“I am.”

“ _ You  _ are going to be Queen,” he said once more, like a broken record.

He saw something like understanding dawning on his mother’s face, but his eyes were on Laura.

She winked at him. “You’re free, Der.”

Derek turned to his mother, and the Queen was smiling at him. Even Princess Braeden seemed to have caught on everything and was happy for him.

“Mother…”

“Go.”

Derek ran.

+

Derek ended up riding all the way to the Stilinski Argent house, ignoring Boyd and Isaac trying to get him to get a carriage and wait for them. They had  _ no  _ idea how long Derek had waited already, they didn’t even know what had just transpired in the room nor where he was going.

When he arrived at the small house, he basically leaped off the horse before the creature could even stop and took a deep breath, ignoring how much his hands were shaking. 

It was over. He was free. There was no need for him to be nervous anymore.

The door opened before he could even step on the doorstep, and a nervous looking Stiles stepped outside, looking around nervously. Once the brunet seemed to decide there was no one around to see them, he turned a frown on Derek.

“What are you doing here?”

The Prince smiled, palms up. “I’m free.”

Stiles’ eyes narrowed. “I don’t understand, Your Highness.”

The other ignored the pointed manner in which his title was said and shook his head. “My sister is marrying Queen Marin. I don’t have to marry Princess Braeden anymore,” he explained.

He saw understanding trickle in Stiles’ face and for a second, what looked like a smile, begun to form on his lips. Then he set his lips in a line. “And?”

Derek paused for a second. And?

“And,” he started, a little unsure. “Your courtship with Lord Parrish fell through,” he started, wincing at the way Stiles’ face burned at that, “and I no longer have to marry anyone.”

“For now.”

Derek was already shaking his head. “No, Stiles. It’s really  _ over _ . Laura will be Queen, which means that-”

“Beacon Hills might still need some other treaties. You could still need to-”

“- You don’t understand that -”

“ - shifts happen all the time -”

“ - even Mother said that - ”

“ - I can’t have my heart broken, Derek. Not by you.”

That small, quiet sentence was what made Derek stop.

Stiles suddenly looked so fragile in front of him, both arms wrapped around his chest protectively. “Derek, if you start courting me, and then end up marrying someone else… I don’t think I can take it.”

“Stiles,” he said, fervently. “I am happy to enter a betrothal agreement with you even  _ right  _ now if that’s what you need to know that I’m here and-”

“That’s be worse,” told him the brunet, voice almost wet. “If you had to break it off. Derek, I can’t do this.”

“Stiles.”

“I want to, you  _ know  _ I want to. God, even Jordan knew, that’s why he broke it off,” Derek blinked at the information, but Stiles wasn’t done, “God knows how much I want to say yes to everything you’re saying right now, but I _can’t_.”

“Stiles.”

“You say you’re free, but you’re Prince Derek Hale of Beacon Hills,” continued the human, trying to reign in the tears. “You’re not. You don’t even know…  _ You  _ can’t be sure, Derek. You’re a Prince.”

He was being stubborn. He was wrong, so  _ wrong _ , his mother had given him permission.

But all that came out of his mouth when he opened it was, “ _ Stiles _ .”

“There is nothing that I want more than say yes to everything you said. To agree, to be with you and be happy and just,” he rubbed his hands over his face, and Derek’s heart ached.  _ So. Much. _

“But we can’t.” With that final sentence, he turned around and walked back towards the door.

“Stiles,” tried Derek again, but his voice was nothing more than a whisper because of the huge knot in his throat.

He knew Stiles heard it though.

Which made it hurt even more when the door closed behind him.

+

Derek’s chest had hurt before, every time Stiles had told him no, every time Stiles had been so close to Derek but still so far away.

But never had the pain hurt to this degree. It was like the pain was a living breathing thing squeezing his heart and burning in his brain.

Because he was in his room and still a pained heart was beating in his ears.

It wasn’t punishment enough that he was in pain and that he knew Stiles wanted him as much as he wanted him. Derek could  _ hear  _ how much pain Stiles was in too.

He heard the door knock, and put his head under his pillow, unwilling to look up.

Boyd and Isaac had been ready to rip him a new one when he had come back, but one look at his face had them immediately worried, trying to get him to tell him what had happened to him.

Derek had swerved their questions like a pro, managed to not run into anyone from his family, and hid in his bedroom.

This was probably the two werewolves’ tracking at work.

There was another knock, and Derek curled in on himself. “No.”

The door opened, and Derek didn’t turn around, keeping his head down.

“If it’s Isaac and Boyd, just leave me alone, please. If it’s Cora or Laura, walk away.”

“And if it’s your mother?” asked a deeper voice, and Derek stilled for a second.

Then he turned around, to find Queen Talia staring at him with deep concern in her face. “Derek what happened to you? Your scent…”

She came to sit at his side, patting his head a little. “I saw your horse back already and came to remind you that you haven’t eaten your dinner before you ran off.” Derek leant into her touch, swallowing the grief in his chest. “What happened?”

And Derek told her.

He told her about falling in love with Stiles from the moment they were in those stupid classes with Mister Finstock and he had berated the older man for making the Royals sit away from them because “What was the point of the school if Cora, Derek and Laura are still treated like they didn’t truly belong?”.

Her told her about being jealous of how easy Laura and Stiles’ relationship was, and loving him even though he was ‘Laura’s’. 

He told her about how they started to become closer the longer the weeks went by, and how he went from ‘Laura’s friend Stiles’, to  _ his  _ Stiles.

He told her about being sure Stiles was also in love with him and the way they always caught one another staring when the other was not looking.

He told her about how happy and glad and perfect being around Stiles made him feel.

And then he told her about Paige, about the sudden Stiles shaped hole in his chest as he started putting space between the two of them.

About Paige knowing that he was in love with Stiles and that being the reason she decided that the treaty didn’t need a marriage to be confirmed.

About Stiles presenting as an Omega, and basically stopping all contact with Laura and Stiles.

About telling Stiles that he and Paige were no more, and Stiles still maintaining that they stay away from each other.

About Cora telling him and Laura that their friends saw them as their rulers rather than their friends.

About Stiles and Jordan Parrish’s courtship.

About that last dance together.

About Braeden and the way she figured everything in minutes when Stiles and Jordan ran into each other.

About Theo and being able to hear Stiles’ heart beat from the castle when Stiles was still in town.

About stopping Theo and calling Jordan and that probably being the reason Stiles’ courtship ended.

About running to Stiles’ place and Stiles closing the door.

About feeling his heartbeat in his head, and “It hurts so much, Mother.”

Talia made a distressed noise, pressing her nose on Derek’s neck. “My son. I’m so sorry, I never knew, I never realised.”

Derek blinked a couple of times, and yeah. His mother’s scent was guilty.

“I am so sorry,” she continued, shaking her head. “I knew you cared for the Stilinski-Argent boy. I knew you had a crush at the very least, or were in love at worst but this… I never knew.”

“Mother?” he asked, worried when she fell silent, watching him with pain in her eyes.

“I never knew you two were mates, Derek. I’m so sorry.”

+

Stiles could see the worry in his father’s eyes as he cleaned around the room, but he refused to interact. What was he supposed to say?

He knew that father had some sort of inkling as to what had suddenly ruined his mood. While he had never said anything, John Stilinski had been there when the engagement of Princess Paige and Prince Derek had been announced. He had seen the reaction on Stiles’ face, had seen the hurt, the betrayal, and, finally, the acceptance.

Stiles wondered if, perhaps, that was why he had never seemed particularly pleased when Stiles and Jordan begun their courtship. Because he knew that Stiles wasn’t being true to himself, or something.

He heard a knock at the door but didn’t move away from where he was dusting an already dust free table. Allison could let herself in by herself; she had spent the past two days knocking at the door instead of opening it herself insisting that the ‘rock’ on her finger was just  _ too  _ heavy for her to raise her hand and knock.

It had been funny the first couple of times, now it was annoying.

~~ It was still funny, it was adorable, really, but Stiles had been in a mood ever since being basically dumped by Lord Parrish. ~~

He did however look up when his sire gasped loudly, a similar sound escaping his lips when he realised  _ who  _ had shocked him so.

Queen Talia stood at their door, her carriage still parked in their front door, with three knights standing behind her. The cloth he was holding on fell on the floor in his haste to bow down to the Queen.

“Your M-Majesty,” he let out, standing a little behind his sire, nervously. “What an honour!”

“Your Majesty,” repeated his father, finally rousing from the living room to see the source of all the commotion.

“Captain Argent, Master Stilinski,” she greeted, before her eyes fell on Stiles. “Young Stiles.”

Oh god, she was here because of Derek. She probably smelt Stiles’ scent all over him - even though Stiles had done his best to avoid touching him - and wanted to tell him to stay the hell away from the Prince.

Maybe Derek had defected some responsibilities by hanging around Stiles earlier, and now he was being punished or maybe -

“Please come on in, your Majesty,” said the Captain, moving Stiles out of the way to allow her and her knights to come in. Stiles stumbled over his own feet a couple of times before managing to make it in the living room. 

Stiles’ parents waited until the Queen took a seat, before sitting right across from her. Stiles came to stand behind them, but he couldn’t stand still. 

“Would you like something to drink, your Majesty?” he asked, anxiously trying to move towards the kitchen. “Some water? Milk? Wine?” God, what did Queens drink? What did Alpha Queens drink?

Finstock and Harris had insisted on some etiquette lessons, but his mind was blank right now.

Queen Talia appeared amused by him, if nothing. She gave one head shake, putting her hands in her lap. “I am here to apologise to you, Young Stiles.”

Stiles stilled, feeling suddenly like the air had been punched out of his lungs. He saw both his father and sire turning to look at Stiles, the same question in both their light eyes:  _ why on Earth would Queen Talia apologise to him _ ?

The brunet was drawing to a blank too. “Your Majesty?” he questioned, blinking at her in confusion.

Her smile thinned, and for a second Stiles could see the pain in her eyes. “When I asked my son to sacrifice his happiness for the good of our country and marry Princess Paige, I knew of the feelings he was harbouring for you.”

“Feelings?” sputtered his sire, and Stiles felt his cheeks reddening. Stiles’ father didn’t say anything, patting the Captain on the back.

Queen Talia didn’t acknowledge this. “I knew he was in love with you, but he is young. First love might hurt, but that too comes to pass.” Her eyes went in direction of both men for a moment, before returning to him. “So I did not feel bad on the subject it.

“Until I walked into his room this eve to see him in pain on his bed,” she continued, and Stiles took a step forward before stopping in his tracks. The Queen tracked his movements, but Stiles didn’t move again, his head hurting.

He knew Derek was hurt, hell, Stiles was hurt. 

“Young Stiles, you were there when we send Madame Satomi to teach you and the others about werewolves, correct?” When the boy nodded, she continued. “So you know what mates are?”

The conversation was going too many different directions for Stiles’ liking. But this was Queen Talia, not someone he could interrupt because she was taking too long to explain a point. “Werewolf mates? They are soulmates, the perfect match; someone who both the wolf and the human part accept as their second half. A spiritual, emotional and romantic connection,” he explained, remembering Madame Satomi’s words.

Queen Talia nodded, pleased. “And do you recall how werewolves can identify their mate?”

Stiles thought about it for a second. “There are many stories of people being unable to see in colours until they lay eyes on their soulmates. Soul marks appearing on both people; being able to tell immediately by the scent of your soulmate. Being able to hear you soulmate’s heartbeat-” his voice trailed off.

Derek spotting him easily among all the other people in the Great Hall the moment Stiles got nervous.

Derek looking up at them when Jordan and Stiles were walking and Stiles had gotten shocked at seeing them.

Derek showing up claws and fangs out after he had started panicking about Theo.

_ “I heard your heartbeat going crazy.” _

“Oh,” he finally said, all the dots connecting.

Mates. 

He was Derek’s mate. Derek’s soulmate.

And the Queen was here to -

His eyes widened, and he shook his head. “I promise I will stay away from him,” he professed, starting to grow nervous. “If there is a spell that can break this bond somehow, I am willing to find it. I will not cost you and Beacon Hills any allegiances, if that’s what you-”

“Young Stiles!” interrupted him Queen Talia, scandalised, and uh, apparently Stiles  _ could  _ start rambling at a Queen. “That won’t be necessary.”

When the brunet looked at her, still confused, Queen Talia shook her head. “The official news will be announced tomorrow, so please do  _ not  _ repeat what I tell you now. But Princess Laura and Queen Marin are to be wed, which means,” she looked at Stiles pointedly. “My son is free.

“Laura will be the future Queen of Beacon Hills after me,  _ not  _ Derek. Not all allegiances need to be solidified by marriage. Our alliance with King Henry is still valid, despite Princess Paige and Prince Derek no longer being betrothed.”

That… that didn’t make sense. “But…”

“Prince Derek is  _ free, _ ” repeated Queen Talia, resolutely. “Had I known that you were his mate, he would have been free earlier. I would  _ never  _ ask either of you to sever the bond. Not only because it could hurt you both, but also because I have  _ no right  _ to separate you from each other.”

Stiles’ head hurt. And so did his heart, and he remembered Madame Satomi saying something about werewolves being able to feel their mates’ pain.

“Der- Prince Derek is in pain?” he asked, feeling a pang of guilt when the Queen nodded slowly. God. “I didn’t meant to hurt him,”

“Young Stiles, mates are a rare phenomena. They don’t simply  _ happen _ . They are rare and far in between, and the fact that you and my son have found each other at such an early age in unthinkable. The fact that you have managed to keep your heads on your shoulders and try to achieve some distance between yourselves, is even more amazing.

“And Derek has already explained to me how between the two of you you were the one who could keep a level head and remind him of his responsibilities as a crown Prince.” She smiled at him, but Stiles couldn’t bring himself to smile back. “The pain that Derek is feeling right now is double of his own, which tells me one thing.”

“What a horrible person I am?” Stiles couldn’t stop himself from asking.

Queen Talia shook her head. “That you love my son just as much as he loves you.”

Stiles didn’t refute nor admit to that statement. Instead he stared hard at a point next to Queen’s head, trying to digest her words, trying to -

“Prince Derek is in the carriage outside. I have some words to share with your parents, but, if you wish, you are free to-”

Etiquette lessons be  _ damned _ , Stiles didn’t wait for the Queen to finish talking as he bowed to her and rushed to open the door. The door to the carriage shot open just as his did, and he only had to walk three steps before he was being wrapped into a tight embrace.

He hid his face in Derek’s neck, tears slipping out once again. He was living an omega stereotype of crying in a big bad alpha’s arms, but he couldn’t bring himself to care when Derek was crying too. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, I didn’t know, I thought, I  _ never _ ,”

“It’s okay,” said Derek, voice shaking. “It’s okay, I know, me too.”

“Derek, had I known, if I even thought-”

“ _ Stiles _ ,”

“- and I was stubborn, I was scared, I didn’t want -”

“I love you.”

Stiles stilled in Derek’s arms for a moment. He didn’t let go of his, but moved his face so that he could look at him in the face. Derek’s face looked decided, even with how red his eyes were, and his hold was unwavering.

Days ago, Stiles would have slapped Derek for even thinking those words.

Hell, hours ago Stiles would have stuffed a cloth in his mouth rather than have him say anything like that.

“I love you too. From the beginning. Even when I presented, even when Paige, even when Jordan-”

“ _ Stiles _ .”

“I love you.”

**epilogue.**

Stiles wasn’t exactly sure when the dance of the betrothed had been firstly instituted; but, for as long as he had been able to formulate coherent thoughts about marriage, Stiles had always wanted to attend one when he ended up with a significant other who was willing to marry him.

He remembered, at the beginning of their friendship, sitting with Laura, Isaac, Boyd and Lydia and gossiping like watchmen about how their debut in high society with the love of their life would go. How all of them were  _ definitely  _ going to end up going to the same dance, and be presented to the people of Beacon Hills together in the Great Hall.

People from all over the land and the colonies would come together to be presented, that was how much of a big deal it was.

And now, few years later, here they were all, standing together in two separate lines.

Young Lydia, who was standing in front of him, turned around, a dazzling smile on her face. “It’s almost Allison’s turn,” she whispered, and Stiles tried to stand up on his toes to better see.

They couldn’t really see the other line until their names were called and they moved in the front stage, which meant he couldn’t check on how nervous Scott was, but he could more or less make out his sister’s dark curly hair and cream  [ dress ](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/85/5e/ff/855eff90798a3fab55c3106e920b4a4c.png) . 

But from the way she was standing, she didn’t look the slightest tense.

“I can’t believe we are all here,” he whispered to Lydia, who just grinned delightedly.

“I never really had a doubt,” she levelled with a shrug. “Even when you and Prince Derek were still full of anguish about each other.”

“ _Beta Scott McCall and Beta Allison Stilinski-Argent_ ,”

Stiles shoot up on his toes again, watching his sister take a deep breath before stepping froward on the main stage and the polite yet loud clapping that accompanied her arrival.

Their parents were among the many people in the Great Hall, watching as the next generation of Youngsters got ready to take over the stage. Stiles himself had attended years after years, even when he hadn’t really known the other people getting announced, so he knew that the place was probably full.

And yet, he couldn’t bring himself to be anxious about it all. 

Because he knew that once he stepped onto that stage, he was going to be with Derek.

(And he was quite sure Derek was trying to calm them through their mate bond, which he was  _ not  _ going to complain about.)

“Sometimes it feels like I’m still dreaming,” he confessed, and then felt Lydia’s hand on his. 

She didn’t turn around, but he could imagine her face when she spoke. “If it was a dream, Isaac would be here too.”

“I had really expected him to end up with Young Danny,” he mused. “They would have made a cool couple,”

“Everyone knows that Sir Isaac only has eyes for Princess Cora,” she scoffed, and Stiles paused for a second.

Oh. So much made sense now.

“ _Beta Vernon Boyd and Beta Erica Reyes,_ ”

They watched the blonde, two people in front of Lydia, disappear in a cloud of  [ cream and pinks ](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/ef/1d/d2/ef1dd2b30701654463b67ddf61280943.png) . 

“Are you nervous?” then asked the red head.

Stiles had been nervous about a lot ever since that visit from the Queen.

Did people believe that Derek had proposed so quickly because they had been compromised, somehow, and not because both him and Derek wanted to attend the  dance of the betrothed  with their friends?

Would Queen Talia suddenly change her mind and decide that she couldn’t allow her only son to marry a commoner like Stiles?

Would their betrothal - and subsequent marriage,  _ oh my god _ \- be a sore spot for relations between other neighbouring realms and Beacon Hills?

Would Stiles have to become a werewolf?

But if there was something he wasn’t afraid of, was the fact that he loved Derek. And Derek loved him.

“No. You?”

“ _Beta Jackson Whittemore and Omega Lydia Martin_ ,” called the voice, and Lydia glanced at him, euphoric.

“ Never .”

Stiles couldn’t help but smile, watching as she walked forward, head held up high like a princess. He couldn’t see Jackson, still too distant from the door, but could tell the moment  _ Lydia  _ saw him, her entire stance going soft and calm.

There was no one else in front of him, now. Lydia and Jackson would hold hands in front of everyone and bow down to everyone in the Great Hall. Then they would walk together towards Queen Talia and King Jasper, and bow to them too, before going to stand with all the other couples.

And then,

“ _Alpha Prince Derek Hale and Omega Stiles Stilinski-Argent,_ ”

Stiles squared up his shoulders, the same excitement displayed in Lydia falling into him, before he stepped forward.

It took him a few moment to get over the blinding lights of the Great Hall; the room had been completely transformed from the last time he had been there, to celebrate the return of the Queen’s Army.

The usual tables full of food still adorned the left and right side of the room, but this time there were no seats to sit down at. The gold and red emblems of the Hale Family shone through every piece of decoration that had been quietly places around.

And there was probably a lot more for him to notice, but then he turned to look a few to his left, where Derek was standing.

He had managed to see the Prince earlier, during the rehearsal, but he hadn’t been dressed up yet; suddenly Queen Talia’s insistence on Stiles getting tailored by the castle’s tailor and dressed in a shiny red tunic made sense.

The Prince looked absolutely gorgeous in a light of golds and red, intricate designs on his tunic and a sheared sword bearing the Hale emblem shining at his side.

Throughout the years Stiles had become -  _ acutely,  _ actually - aware that Derek was a prince.

But he had never looked as regal to Stiles as he did that very moment, standing there in those clothes.

And, from the way Derek’s eyes flashed for a moment and the way he was smiling at him, he didn’t look too bad.

They moved as one, taking a step towards each other, and when Derek took his hand in his, it was like feeling a key fall into place. Perfect and exact.

All the anxiety he hadn’t even known slowly left his body as everyone clapped loudly at them, and Stiles knew he looked particularly goofy smiling like that next to the Prince, but he didn’t  _ care _ .

They bowed to their Majesties, and Stiles couldn’t help reciprocate the way the Queen was looking between their face, particularly pleased with herself.

They then walked off from the stage, and went to stand with the rest of the couples, who were grinning, staring or clapping at them.

Derek neatly side stepped the few people who tried to congratulate them, pulling Stiles along until he was standing next to rest of their friends.

And they all looked radiant, every couple paired up with someone: Allison and Scott, Erica and Boyd, Lydia and Jackson.

He didn’t even look up when the next couple was called forward, Derek not letting go of his hand to even allow the slightest clap. 

Derek leaned down a few minutes later, after everyone had finally been called, close enough that Stiles could feel his breath on his ears. 

“Are you happy?”

“ _Alpha Laura Hale and Omega Marin Morrell_ ,”

Laura came forward from another door, looking every bit the Queen she would be one day, already holding hands with Queen Marin. 

Stiles had long ago thrown away the idea that he would ever be happy, because Allison had chosen Scott. Allison had chosen happiness, which meant that Stiles could never. 

But this  _ was  _ happiness cursing through his veins, almost high on the feelings. It was the same thing he saw in Lydia’s face when she received a letter from Jackson; the same way Allison’s lips curled up no matter what present Scott handed her; the same way his parents looked at each other ever since - and perhaps even before - their marriage.

The same radiance that was glowing from Derek’s face.

“I’m happy.”

**_fin_ **


End file.
